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| Laura Diaz Munoz. Credit: Galerie Wines |
Through her solo project, Galerie Wines, Laura Díaz Muñoz offers up a series of varietal wines, two Sauvignon Blancs and two Cabernets, one apiece from Knights Valley and Napa Valley. The grapes are treated the same way, with the same amount of skin contact, same winemaking methods, same barrel regimen, which allows the wines to speak to their different origins. The Knights Valley wines come from Kellogg Vineyard, while the Napa Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet come from a variety of sites around Napa.
Both Sauvignon Blancs were handled the same way in
the cellar. Half whole-cluster pressed, the juice was then racked into a mix of
concrete eggs, stainless steel and new and used French oak. The wine was then
aged on the lees for six months, with lees stirring done twice a week. Both
Cabernets are 100% Cab are aged 19 months in 55% new French oak.
Laura is no newb to these grape varieties. After
studying food science as an undergraduate and receiving a graduate degree in
enology from Polytechnic University in Madrid, she worked in Sauvignon Blanc
hotbeds of New Zealand and Chile. Laura then joined up with Chris Carpenter,
(who produces some incredible Napa Cabernets under the Cardinale, La Jota and
Mt. Brave labels) and became the assistant winemaker.
At a dinner with Laura last year, she told me she’d
never been to California before accepting the gig with Chris. But she fell in
love with Napa, and stuck around, though she travels back to Spain frequently
to visit her family.
After working with Chris, Laura said she wanted a
project that was fully her own, a wine label that would bare her unique
signature. Laura says she and Chris share a similar winemaking philosophy. They
both use wild fermentation and Galerie uses the same coopers as Chris, but
Laura says she prefers a bit less oak and brighter red fruits in her wines (a
preference that rings true in Laura’s Cabernet).
While Galerie’s focus is on Cab Sauv and Sauv Blanc,
in 2014 Laura crafted one heck of a Riesling. The Spring Mountain Riesling was
the first time she’s worked with this grape, but said she was thrilled about
the prospect. Spring Mountain seems to produce some really high quality
Riesling, and this one stunned me. (Smith-Madrone comes to mind as another
example). The fruit comes from a very small plot (less than two acres), so
there’s not much to go around. The wine is slightly off-dry, but the intense
acid needs a slight bit of sweetness to tame it (and Laura maintains it helps
lift the aromatics as well).
Taken together, these five wines comprise quite a
portfolio. These wines were received as trade samples and tasted sighted.
SRP: $30
A bright, crisp appeal on the nose, with complex
floral perfume and white pepper on top of sliced green apples and tangerines.
Crisp and crunchy palate but some creaminess adds texture and depth to the
wine. Orange peel, green apples, green pears, the fruit is crisp but ripe, and
matched with hints of chalk, crushed rocks, sea spray, raw almond and a hint of
white pepper. Long, lingering finish with a sense of pure minerality, this is a
vibrant and exciting Sauvignon Blanc. (91 points)
2014 Galerie Sauvignon Blanc Naissance - California, Napa Valley
SRP: $30
Lovely floral, green apple, lime and sea salt notes
on the nose. On the palate, this has a creamy presence but precision comes from
pure, clean acidity. Fresh green apples and limes mix with papaya, and the fruit
is laced with notes of sea salt, river rocks, minerals, dried white flowers.
Hints of waxy, honeyed notes, but this is a bright and refreshing wine with a
lot of complexity. Lots of seemingly contradictory elements to ponder, but the
whole is so balanced and integrated. (90 points)
2014 Galerie Riesling Terracea - California, Napa Valley, Spring
Mountain District
SRP: $30
Aromatically firing, this is bold but elegant with
bright honeysuckle, lilies, salty air and cucumber water on top of sliced limes
and nectarines. Crisp and edgy on the palate but some very moderate sweetness
to balance out the bright acid. This is a precise but exuberant Riesling with
complex flavors of crunchy green apples, nectarine, pears and peaches. I also
get crusty sea salt, honeysuckle, sliced cucumber and minerals, there is a
whole lot going on with this Riesling. I'm very interested to see how this wine
will age, but this is beautiful right out of the bottle. (91 points)
2012 Galerie Cabernet Sauvignon Latro - California, Sonoma County, Knights Valley
SRP: $50
Deep purple color. Nose of tart blueberries and rich
currants, the fruit is smooth and ripe but bright at the same time, and laced
with sweet spice, pepper, loamy soil, coffee and cola. This is a young, bold
wine with sturdy but velvety tannins, some moderate acid keeps if refreshing,
though. Blackberries, blueberries, black currants, a rich wine but it maintains
a slice of tartness. Mixed in with complex elements of graphite, mocha, loam,
roasted chestnut, black licorice and charcoal. Complex, young, needs time but
this is gorgeous even at this young age. All Cabernet, aged 19 months in 55%
new French oak. Great stuff. One of the best Cali Cabs I can remember in this
price range. (92+ points)
2012 Galerie Cabernet Sauvignon
Pleinair
- California, Napa Valley
SRP: $50
Rich purple color.
Dark and saucy on the nose, the blackberry and currant fruit is rich but suave,
and I get complex elements of violets, sarsaparilla, birch bark and rocky soil.
A whole lot to unwrap on the nose. Bold presence on the palate but also quite
silky; the tannins are smooth and fine and the medium acid keeps it all moving
forward. Fresh currant, black cherry and plum skin mixes with violets, loamy
soil, fallen leaves, eucalyptus, cedar, hints of peppery spice. A lot going on
here, but the wine stays open and inviting in spite of its richness and
youthful complexity. I’d love to lay this down for five to eight years, but
it’s a beauty. (92 points)
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