Tasting Miner Family Wines; Including "The Oracle"

Today I participated in a tasting of 6 fantastic Miner Family wines while being narrated to (in person) by none other than Dave Miner himself. What a treat! While I’m familiar with previous vintages, today’s tasting really stood out to me as being over the top.

Three Whites Tasted: 2009 California Viognier (stainless steel fermented, shows plush and creamy impressions of peach, kiwi, citrus and honeysuckle with mouth watering acidity – available for $15 to $20); 2008 Napa Valley Chardonnay (somewhat of a Valley vineyard cuvee, as I understand it, with a tasty balance of toasted French oak and moderate malolactic fermentation, this is a crisp Chardonnay showing spicy apple and pear, melon, and citrus on the nose with a creamy custard like mouth feel – available for $25 to $30); 2007 Wild Yeast Chardonnay (fermented with natural yeast as opposed to cultured, this is a dark golden and full bodied Chardonnay with outstanding depth and complexity showing flavors and aromas of nutty butterscotch and a blooming bouquet of honey laden fruit, apple, ripe pear, and spiced apricot – smooth, creamy, and rich to say the least – available for $40 to $50).

Three Reds Tasted: 2006 Stagecoach Vineyard Merlot (blind tasted, you might mistake for a Cabernet Sauvignon due to its intense fruit and tannin structure with notes of blackberry, herbal spice, and sweet tobacco – available for $35 to $40); 2007 Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (with a moderate tannin structure leaving a nice mouth feel and a worthy finish, this is a classic Cabernet with depth and complexity showing concentrated flavors of black cherry, cassis, and licorice laced with well integrated French oak – available for $55 to $60); And finally the Flagship, the 2006 Oracle (50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Cabernet Franc, 17% Merlot, 5% Malbec, and 5% Petit Verdot – available for $80 to $90). How do I put this into words…WOW! This is a concentrated fruit, vanilla, and herb driven, powerful and complex Bordeaux blend with incredible structure, a soft French oak presence, fantastic mouth feel, and a notable finish lasting a full 2 minutes on MY palate. Some of the specific aromas and flavors I found included blackberry, currant, vanilla spiced oak, and cocoa.

Founded in 1998 by Dave and Emily Miner, along with his folks Ed and Norma, Miner Family Vineyards has maintained an unparalleled commitment to product quality and customer service. While I’ve not yet been, their tasting room is open to the public and comes highly recommended. If you ever have the opportunity to meet Dave, you’ll immediately recognize his fiery passion to not only make great wine, but to ignite something in everyone around him to expect nothing less.