Occasionally a wine surprises me. But when an entire winery makes a turnaround, I take notice. Take Hess Collection. I'm absolutely bored with Napa where Hess hails from, so honestly, I haven't given them a look in years. But recently, Dave Guffy, winemaker for Hess Collection, came to town and changed my mind.
Guffy has been winemaker at Hess Collection for ten years. The guy is a farmer's farmer, whose eyes light up as he talks about strolling through the vineyards. He even crafts wine for his family with syrah grapes grown in his front yard. The dirt is where his heart lies.
He's in charge of the mounds of money Hess spends on vineyard development and replanting older vines that aren't producing much anymore. Some people say this might be age discrimination, even me, since wines made from older vines taste more concentrated and elegant.
This article appears in Apr 8-14, 2009.