Henry Patland is an emigree from the Soviet Union. So when I say I met Henry at the CIA, visions of espionage and international intrigue must be dancing thru your head.
But nothing could be further from the truth. Henry, actually from the Ukraine (at one time the USSR), and his lovely wife Olga - from Israel - had a wine tasting booth at the CIA - the Culinary Institute of America - during the 'Napa Premier' event we attended earlier this year. Their booth was next to the Krupp Brothers, another Two Masters selected winery, which was manned, at that time, by Bart Krupp. Don Steiner and I had visited Bart and his brother, Jan, at the Krupp Brothers winery, high above the valley floor on Atlas Peak, just the day before. Chatting with Bart again was fun...but brief. I had work to do: All around me was wine I had to taste!
Bart introduced me to Henry and Olga, standing just a few feet away, the owners and proprietors of Patland Estate Vineyards. The Patlands buy 'fruit' from Krupp Brothers - specifically from their Stagecoach Vineyard, a massive, about 500 acre vineyard at the very western edge of Atlas Peak, overlooking Oakville below - and craft their own wines. And, boy, do they craft some great wines!
From my first taste of the 2008 Stagecoach Vineyard cabernet savignon I knew it was a Rock Star. Intrigued by their amazing wine, I spent some time getting to know Henry and Olga. Go to their site and you'll see they started making wines only a few years ago - their first release was 2007 - at a beautiful estate known as "Terra del Cuore," or 'land of the heart.' The site has some wonderful photos of the estate!
The 2008 cab is not yet released to the general public - yet Two Masters was able to convince Henry to permit us to share this amazing wine with you. Henry's winemaker describes this wine as, "Dark garnet hue; Intense black currant, blueberry, sassis, chocolate, carmamelized new French Oak, sage vanilla and clove. Expect a full and plush mid-palate density with layered flavors of black cherries, anise, integrated toasty oak, blackberry and baker's chocolate." I agree. This wine has tremendous depth and complexity, tons of black fruit flavors, and a - wow - what a tasty wine!
If you haven't tried this wine yet, I urge you to do so ASAP. The Patlands only made 215 cases of this fantastic cab. Once released, I'm certain it will disappear quickly. I suggest you get a case for your cellar today. Enjoy!
Terry Liebman