2015 Nick Goldschmidt Fidelity Crazy Creek Estate Alexander Valley 750 ml

As Good as Alexander Valley Gets Under $20

The Alexander Valley is one of the largest AVAs in Northern California. But when it comes to making world-class Bordeaux blends, just a tiny sliver of the appellation turns out wines that challenge Napa’s best.

As you drive up Highway 101, just north of Healdsburg, the valley extends from the banks of the Russian River to the foothills of the Mayacamas Mountains. Much of Alexander Valley is hot enough that hearty Zinfandel and Petite Syrah flourish, but Bordeaux blends are often Port-like and out of balance. But in the southern quadrant of the AVA, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot enjoy marvelously long growing seasons. Extended hang time makes for harvests that often stretch into the last week of October. Berry size is small. Tannins are mature. Concentration is extreme even as acids remain surprisingly firm.

Alexander Valley’s top producer of Bordeaux varietals is, of course, Pierre Seillan of Vérité fame. If you’ve never spent a few hours with the Frenchman’s Left and Right Bank-inspired blends, which have earned nine perfect 100-point scores from Robert Parker in the last 12 years, get in line. The Vérité mailing list stretches from Chalk Hill to the Golden Gate Bridge!

On the other hand, if waiting years for a $400 bottle doesn’t sound all that appealing, you don’t have to look far to find what may be the greatest Right Bank bargain in Sonoma: Nick Goldschmidt’s “Fidelity” off Crazy Creek Estate in Alexander Valley.

Just a short drive up Chalk Hill Road, near Robert Young, lies Crazy Creek Vineyard, 30 pristine acres that the veteran Goldschmidt has been farming for 25 years.

In that quarter century Goldschmidt has been making wine in Alexander Valley — longer than Giorgio in the analytics department has been ALIVE — he has headed up winemaking at Simi, Gary Farrell, and a host of other estates, not to mention his own eponymous label. Though he was born in Auckland, New Zealand, Nick knows every inch of Alexander Valley, and knew he struck pay dirt in Crazy Creek when he first set eyes on the vineyard over two decades ago.

East of Geyserville, and just north of Jordan Winery, Crazy Creek’s nutrient-poor, gravelly loam soils naturally stress Merlot and Cabernet vines, resulting in magnificently concentrated berries in striking shades of purple-black. And in the outstanding 2015 growing season in Sonoma — Robert Parker called it a “spectacular, high-quality vintage,” while Pierre Seillan judged it the finest of his LIFETIME — the vines at Crazy Creek practically farmed themselves, producing the smallest, most deeply flavored berry clusters Goldschmidt and his team had ever seen.

The 2015 Nick Goldschmidt “Fidelity” Crazy Creek Estate Alexander Valley is ruby/garnet to the rim, showing tantalizing aromas of black cherry, blueberry, and plum. On the palate, sumptuous blackberry and strawberry notes unfold into cola, black olive, sweet licorice, and savory herb. Beyond the bright black and blue fruit lies natural acidity to cleanse the palate, with just a hint of new French oak to bind it all together.

If you’re looking for a comparable Napa Valley Right Bank blend at THIS price point?! Forget about it. At $14.99, we’re calling the 2015 “Fidelity” an under-$20 Alexander Valley miracle. Two cases belong in every cellar. Don’t procrastinate.