Cairdean Estate Vineyards, a new winery in St. Helena
Husband and wife team Edwin and Stacia Williams have recently opened Cairdean Estate Vineyards in St. Helena. Stacia makes the wine and Edwin handles the business side of things including vineyard operations. Stacia was in the software industry and Edwin was an aerospace engineer but they have now jumped head first into the wine business and from the looks of things thus far should fare quite well.
Cairdean is Scottish Gaelic for friends, which reflects the William’s belief that wine is meant to be shared by those held close to your heart. The Cairdean symbol is a representation of that belief with the four hearts always present and brought together in the center by friendship.
I recently had the opportunity to taste two of Cairdean’s wines as part of #winechat on Twitter hosted by Tina Morey of Protocol Wine Studio.
Cairdean 2010 Napa Valley Merlot has a beautiful color and has a nice berry flavor balanced with hints of spice and cocoa. The wine retails for $42 and is the perfect example of what great Merlot can and should taste like. This wine won a Gold Medal, Best of Class and was given 94 points at the California State Fair Wine Competition
Cairdean 2010 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon scream Napa in the best possible way. It has great tannins, nice fruit and oak rounded with earthiness and herbal notes. This wine is $76 a bottle and won a silver medal at the California State Fair Wine Competition and was given 90 points. It should evolve and get even better with age.
It’s always fun and interesting to see new wineries emerge and to try their wines. Based on the two wines I have tried so far from Cairdean, I am quite excited to visit the winery and try more of their wines. The tasting room is now open but later this summer the winery will also include Farmer & The Fox restaurant and Butterscots deli. If the food and other wines are as good as the wines I tried then Cairdean should have no trouble fitting in and being considered a welcome addition to St. Helena!
Tags: #WineChat, Butterscots Deli, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cairdean Vineyards, Merlot, Protocol Wine Studio, St. Helena, Stacia Williams, The Farmer & The Fox, Tina Morey
