Garrett Ahnfeldt is the new Napa Valley…raised there amidst the vines his parents farmed to supply many of the best-known wineries—before they finally decided to quit selling and start producing wines from their hard work. Launched in 2002, the Ahnfeldt Winery tasted early success with a solid 94 point rating for their first vintage of—of all things—Merlot! Although Garrett was in college at this time, it was not long before he was back in Napa Valley, first lending a hand in the family business before branching out to vineyard management and finally, in 2006, launching his own brand…G Wine Cellars. Quality starts in the vineyards, great wines are the result of meticulous vineyard management—not something manipulated at the winery after harvest—so Garrett was a step ahead of most, knowing what to look for in selecting sites and how to manage those vineyards to get the most from the grapes.

I had the opportunity to taste through the line-up with Garrett a few weeks back at his Napa guesthouse. The wines showed very well, all with intensity of character and purity completely true to the varietal. The ‘G’ Chardonnay, called G-licious, is something everyone needs to try. Not, as one might expect, a rich, tropically fruited oak laden behemoth, but instead a rich and weighty wine, showing clean ripe fruit without the trappings of any oak and darn little malo-lactic fermentation…G-licious and unique in its focus and purity. Look for the Chardonnay now at select ABC Fine Wine & Spirits, as well as the ‘G, the 7^th Letter’ red blend….a large scale wine blended predominately from Zinfandel and Syrah (for aromatics and fruit) with some Cabernet and Petite Verdot for color and structure. There were only about 300 cases made, so find it quick!

We also tasted, and bought, a few other wines Garrett produces. His Mountain Reserve 2010 Cabernet is on the way. Sadly it will not last long, as only a few dozen cases were available; watch for it this fall.  As Garrett branches out further into Napa and into other projects, we hope to offer you more of his wines as they become available—a very exciting prospect for us and hopefully a very beneficial partnership going forward!

Shayne Hebert, Central Florida wine supervisor. Follow me on Twitter @abcwineshayne.