Markham Vineyards

We guess that the hardest thing in the world is going into a store and slapping down twenty or thirty dollars for a wine and not even knowing exactly what’s in the bottle. You know it is wine, you may even be familiar with the producer, but exactly what is in the bottle; we really do not think that you do. One cannot even go by the vintage years. All too often the vintages are declared good for an entire district or country and there can be nothing further from the truth. Vintage not only depends on the districts weather but the weather at the particular place where a vineyard lies as well as the soil, the orientation of the vineyard and on and on. There can be dramatic differences in the quality of the grapes in just a few hundred feet. The small, legendary Burgundian vineyards of La Tache and La Richebourge abut the rather mediocre vineyards of La Grand Rue, which on the other side abuts two other equally extraordinary vineyards, Le Cruots and Le Treux; a lump of coal sandwiched between diamonds.

We believe that there are very few really bad wines in the marketplace; some just please an individual more than others regardless of the price it is the buyers palate is really all that counts. Now that we have mentioned price, please do not use that as a criterion of a wines quality. We have had some magnificent $12 wines and some monumental stinkers at $125 a bottle.

Markham Vineyards is one of those vineyards that can be counted on year after year to produce wines that are well above average. While Mother Nature occasionally vexes them, the Markham vintners will not put their label on wines that do not reach or exceed their very stringent standards.

Markham Vineyards 2013 Napa Valley Pinot Noir ($31). We are not ashamed to admit it, we are partial to pinot noir wines, from the massive wines of Burgundy in France to the newly emerging Pinot Noir’s of New Zealand. Too often the fruit of a Pinot Noir is in such abundance that it can become obnoxious. This is not the case with the Markham Vineyards 2011 Napa Valley Pinot Noir. The fruit is there, and in all of its glories, cherry, plum, raspberry, and a light sprinkling of oak, but in elegant, dignified amounts. The suggestion of oak carries into the finish where it rounds out a delightful wine drinking experience.

Markham Vineyards 2011 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($45). This wine is a California show piece, displaying all of the classical flavors of a Cabernet Savignon but in the big, fruit, wide open California style. The flavors big and jammy showcasing big ripe plums and fresh summer berries intertwined with vanilla and oak. A long and delightfully fruity finish caps off the wine. Forget about what best goes with a Cabernet Savignon and just enjoy this one.

Markham Vineyards 2012 Napa Valley Merlot ($27). After saying so much about the Cabernet Savignon we now present its more fruitier (if that is possible) cousin, the Merlot. The aroma is powerful and fruity with a background of spice. The flavor is ablaze with plums, dark cherries, and wild summer berries riding on a toasty smoky oak cloud. The Markham Vineyards 2011 Napa Valley Merlot can accompany almost any meat dish as well as a great many non-meat dishes. It is an all around wine that we feel is sure to please.

Markham Vineyards 2012 Napa Valley Cellar 1879 Blend ($27), When Markham vintners say “blend,” they are not kidding. To make a red wine that is a perfect for almost everything they very skillfully combined 36% Merlot, 21% Petite Sirah, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Syrah, 9% Zinfandel, 8% Petit Verdot and came up with, not a Frankenstein, but a really knockout wine that displays the aromas violet, boysenberry, plum and tobacco followed by an equally interesting and complex flavor and finish.