At the risk of offering a humble brag, I get a lot of wine sent to me. A lot. Most of it I try to taste in a timely fashion and write thoughtful, hopefully even witty notes. With the majority of the wines that I receive, that is about it.

About ten percent of the time, I would guess, I find the wine or the winery’s story compelling enough that I reach out to gather more information, to delve a little deeper. 

Even rarer, there is a wine or two, certainly less than one percent of those that I receive, that is so fantastic that I actually make it a point to visit the winery at some point.

That brings us to Smith-Madrone.

I have been sampling the wines of Smith-Madrone on and off for almost a decade now (my first Smith-Madrone was the 2013 Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon), and I had set up at least a few appointments to visit the winery.

But they never happened.

Why?

Well, visiting the winery on Spring Mountain in Napa Valley is a commitment. While most people who have visited this country’s most famous wine region confine themselves to Route 29 and the Silverado Trail, Smith-Madrone is perched high above the valley floor. It is a mere 17 miles (or so) from Calistoga, but the majority of that “pavement” is a twisting, turning, and, at times, tortuous trek up Spring Mountain Road. 

Finally, though, this past spring, I was once again out in Napa Valley this time with a friend from France, and I was determined to finally make the drive up to Smith-Madrone.

Stu Smith, half of the brother tandem that makes up Smith-Madrone, cautioned me to plan on a good 45 minutes to an hour on a good day to get up to the winery. And even though I consider myself a fairly good driver, Stu missed the estimate by a good fifteen minutes.

The views alone make the trek up to Smith-Madrone worth it.

I have read many a wine article describing how a trip to a given winery is “a trip back in time to how wine used to be made” or something to that effect. Well, a visit to Smith-Madrone is a travel back in time since it is safe to say that virtually no significant changes have been made to the winery/tasting room over the last fifty, sorry, 53 years (the winery was founded in 1971).

Charlie and François debating a recent vintage (François came to Smith-Madrone in 2021).

Stu happened to be out of town the day we stopped by the winery (at a wine competition in Omaha, Nebraska of all places) so it was Charlie, Stu’s older brother and head winemaker, who led us through the tasting along with the assistant winemaker François Bugué.

François pointed out the extent of the property.

It was my first interaction with Charlie after having several (both in person and over Zoom) with Stu, “Mr. Outside” according to Charlie (who referred to himself as “Mr. Inside”). There was never a doubt that the two were brothers from the deep, baritone voice that they shared and their rather jolly nature.

I could listen to either brother (this is Charlie) for hours recounting stories from the valley.

But while Stu is loquacious and might even be described as “cantankerous” by others in the valley (particularly when they find themselves on the opposing side in an environmental dispute), Charlie, the older brother (by four years) by comparison comes off as more soft-spoken and measured.

But that is a relative observation as Charlie, too, needs little provocation to express his opinion or dive into a captivating narrative. After a quick walk about the property, we returned to the winery to taste through a few wines, all of which were tasted at the winery unless otherwise noted.

First up was perhaps the least recognized of the wines, the Smith-Madrone Chardonnay. This is not the biggest, most bombastic Chard from Napa, but nor is it a shrinking violet. It is more of a Goldilocks Chard for me and I doubt there is another Napa Chard that I would rather have on my dining room table.

2018 Smith-Madrone Chardonnay, Spring Mountain District, CA: Retail $45. Hillside fruit. 100% malolactic fermentation. Barrel fermented. Batonage. According to Charlie: “Everything we do does not move the needle much, but just enough.” Gorgeous on the nose with tropical fruit, white flower, and almond paste predominate. The palate is quite tart, with fruit at the forefront, hints of oak, and a subtle creaminess that defines Smith-Madrone. Outstanding. 93 Points.

2019 Smith-Madrone Chardonnay, Spring Mountain District, CA: Retail $45. Responsible bottle. Under cork. Sample tasted in Houston. Certainly yellow and on its way to golden in the glass with boatloads of lemon curd and a bit of an herbal note (sweet basil) curiously on the nose. The palate is rich and luxurious (but short of being the dreaded cougar juice) with plenty of lemon creme pie balanced with an incredibly zingy tartness and more than a hint of oak. Sure, this is a bit of a throwback to the “classic California” Chardonnay style, but boy, is it delicious. Weighty but also lithe, big but also deft, tart but also round. What else could one want? Outstanding. 94 Points.

2022 Smith-Madrone Chardonnay, Spring Mountain District, CA: From barrel. Charlie called this “The Experiment”  as it has a lot of new oak, and they have performed “tons of batonnage.” They normally would keep this on oak through July but with this vintage, they decided to pull it off the oak in March. As a result, there is much less oak influence, and the resultant wine is much more tropical. Only about 250 cases produced. 100% new French oak. The nose has tons of fruit: Guava. Even banana. And while the palate is rich and creamy, it does not taste like it’s oaked at all. Lengthy finish. Lovely. It will be interesting to see how this wine develops. Excellent. 91-93 Points. 

Next up, the Smith-Madrone Riesling, one of the best Rieslings produced not just in Napa or even California, but in the entire country. In fact, the 2018 vintage was awarded “Reserve Grand Champion” at this year’s Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s International Wine Competition (full disclosure: I serve as a judge for the competition). There were roughly 3,000 wines entered and the 2018 Riesling was deemed to be the second-best wine out of all the entries.

2018 Smith-Madrone Riesling, Spring Mountain District, CA: Retail $35. Under cork. There are few constants in life: death, taxes, and stellar Riesling from Smith-Madrone. This is a perfect example. While it is close to a full five years out, this is actually the current release from the venerable winery. Medium color in the glass with lemon predominate as well as some lemon rind, a bit of wet rock, and a hint of an herbal aspect (basil?). The palate is simply exquisite, great fruit, good weight, fantastic acidity. Whoa. Perhaps a bit rounder than previous vintages, but holy cow. Outstanding. 94 Points.

2022 Smith-Madrone Riesling, Spring Mountain District, CA: From barrel. Only about 720 cases made in 2022, compared to the usual 1,500 cases. Bright almost sweet on the nose. Lovely. Fruity, rich, even a bit spicy. Going to be a killer. Outstanding. 94-96 Points.

Last, we tried the most recent iteration of Smith-Madrone’s Cabernet Sauvignon, which at only $65 has to be the Valley’s single greatest bargain (OK, maybe after the Riesling).

2019 Smith-Madrone Cabernet Sauvignon, Spring Mountain District, CA: Retail $65. Reasonable bottle. 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot,. Just the mention of “Smith-Madrone” makes me giddy–the wines are always on point, precisely made, exhibit the terroir, and are also reserved and food-friendly. If you pop a Smith-Madrone Cab and are expecting a “typical Napa Cab” you will be sorely disappointed. Instead, the medium-color wine with plenty of red berry fruit and a solid dose of green notes: both herbal and green pepper (albeit subtle) is more subtle and understated than its Valley brethren. The reserved fruit is at the forefront of the palate, followed quickly by a zingy tartness. Having tasted several Smith-Madrone Cabs now, I find this a bit lean compared to others, resulting in a more acid-driven wine than in years past. Still, this is a stellar wine and would excel on just about any dinner table. Outstanding. 93 Points.

2019 Smith-Madrone Cook’s Flat Reserve, Spring Mountain District, CA: Retail $225. 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc. This was my first time tasting the Cook’s Flat Reserve and it was certainly memorable but by the time it was in my glass, Charlie was going full-on Smith Brother and was recounting a story about making wine “back in the day” in Napa Valley. Thus, I do not have a more “professional” assessment other than: Whoa. Really fantastic. Off the charts in flavor and richness. Extraordinary. 97 Points.