"Wine should be fun!"
March 31, 2006
by Zoë Heimdal
Snuggled into the hillside just off the Silverado Trail above St. Helena, is the home of one of Napa's newest producers, Hunnicutt Wines. What appears to be a small charming restored barn actually conceals a large home for the wine tanks, cellars and administrative offices for Venge Vineyards, where this up-and-coming wine producer makes his wines.
Justin Hunnicutt Stephens founded Hunnicutt Wines just a few years ago, after deciding that his passion was actually with wine and not so much with the real estate background that he had been working on previously. His business degree from UC Berkeley is still a very useful resource as he runs all aspects of this successful new brand, but now his daily focus can be on the subject that he loves so much: high quality small-production wines.
Justin is a friendly unassuming "regular guy" who was a delightful host as he gave me the full winery tour and shared barrel tastings for his upcoming vintages. Out in the sunshine with the winery dog, Lucy and cat, Jack, he filled me in on some of the history behind this project of his. His previous wine experience includes working in a variety of capacities at wineries including Miner Family, Saddleback Cellars and Seavey Vineyards from production, to marketing/sales, to management. At the same time, he kept himself very busy studying for classes in all aspects of viticulture, oenology and wine marketing. Quality winemaking is also a family obsession, as his father, Don Stephens founded the very successful D.R. Stephens Estate Winery (where Justin also holds the position of General Manager).
When it came time to set up Hunnicutt Wines, choosing the right person to oversee the wine-making itself was an easy choice for Justin. Kirk Venge was a childhood friend, and the two had grown up together in St. Helena. Kirk brings a strong background of family wine-making, education and experience to the table, and together the two are able to pursue creating wines that they are proud to bottle under the Hunnicutt name. They promote a casual approach to the often serious subject of wine, and when you visit the Hunnicutt website, you can see many photos of the various activities (wine-related and otherwise) that they've pursued with their friends and family. As Justin told me, "Wine should be fun!!"
Of course when it comes to the actual winemaking, Justin and Kirk can be quite serious. They very carefully choose grapes that they feel will do their wines justice, and they monitor their barrels regularly for decisions on blending options, bottling times, etc. They have focused on red wines so far, with three vintages of Cabernet Sauvignon and two of Zinfandel under their belt. Justin's philosophy is to produce wonderful wines while doing all he can to keep them in a moderate price range.
The current Cab (2003) is available currently through our store in both full-size and half bottles. A rich velvety wine, its grapes were acquired from such fine locations as Moose Valley Vineyard and Krill Vineyard in St. Helena. Rich and aromatic to the nose, this delightful wine has lush flavors of red currant, toasted oak and Bing cherry, with a smooth full mouthfeel and a firm but elegant finish that lingers and leaves one looking forward to the next sip. This is a very delicious wine that will go great with a cheese plate or dinners now, and will certainly get even better as it is cellared over the next couple of years. And in this day and age, to find a Napa Cab of this quality for only $37.95 is quite a treat! We are offering a special of 15% off this yummy wine through the month of April, but act quickly, as quantities are limited on this small-production gem.
Hunnicutt is also proud of their Zinfandels which have a somewhat unique flavor profile of bright fruit with crisp acidity, while not too jammy/spicy, which allows them to pair easily with a variety of foods. The 2004 Zin is blended with 4% Petit Sirah to add a bit of depth to the character. This wine will be released on May 1st, and at only 215 cases produced, we anticipate that it should sell briskly at our store.
In addition to the Cab and Zin, this year Hunnicutt will be debuting a Sauvignon Blanc that Justin is very excited about. He felt that it was time to expand the brands offerings, and it seemed that Sauvignon Blanc was the natural choice. "A no-brainer" he called the decision. The '05 vintage will be released on May 1st, and has just under 200 cases produced. Using grapes from the warmer Pope Valley, the wine has a fresh and crisp tropical taste, with mango and pineapple hints.
Please let me know if you'd like to be added to the waiting list on the soon-to-be-released Hunnicutt Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc wines. My email is: zoe@nvwe.com. I will alert you as soon as we receive the wines, and you can be the first on your block to share in these limited-availability Hunnicutt wine discoveries.
What is in the future for Justin Hunnicutt Stephens? He is contemplating the idea of producing an extremely small lot of Reserve Cab starting with the 2005 vintage, but first wants to see how his debut Sauvignon Blanc is received. I feel certain that both ventures will be a success.
Email orders for this wine are 15% off for the month of April -- order soon as quantities are limited! zoe@nvwe.com
2003 Hunnicutt Cabernet Sauvignon
15% Discount Pricing (during April): $32.26/bottle and $18.66/half-bottle
Case Pricing with April Discount: $387.09/full-size bottles and $223.89 for half-bottles