In Vino Felicitas Wines

In Vino Felicitas Wines, meaning, in wine there is happiness, was founded by the husband wife wine making team of Anna and Mario Monticelli. Like other winemakers these days, both have international harvest experience. They met during their last quarter of school as undergrads at UC Davis while earning their enology and viticulture degrees. Mario is a fourth-generation winemaker with extended wine making roots in California; his father was winemaker and an executive for GALLO and his brother Massimo is also an accomplished winemaker in Napa Valley. As a result of his family background Mario’s immersion into the wine industry started as a child helping to make wine at his grandparent’s winery. Mario worked as assistant to the well-known winemaker Philippe Melka, at Quixote and currently more recently was the winemaker for Trinchero Napa Valley (until 2020). Now he is a consulting winemaker for several projects both in and outside of Napa Valley.

Anna (born in Poland) does not come from a wine making family; she was on the fast track to medical school when a viticulture elective sidetracked her college education, and looking back, eventually became career changing. She worked a harvest in Bordeaux, France at Château Cheval Blanc and at Napa Valley notables including Seavey Vineyard and Bryant Family. Currently she is the winemaker for Pina Cellars. Mario and his brother have operated their own label (Monticelli Brothers) for a number of years, and it was only a matter of time before Mario and Anna decided to create their own brands. They jointly share the wine making duties.

We originally met with Anna at Pina Cellars when she was producing Esca Wines; she has since transitioned into producing additional labels as part of the In Vino Felicitas portfolio. We sometimes see her at specific trade events in Napa Valley; one evening she and Mario were randomly sitting one row behind us on a flight to London.

Currently five labels are produced from grapes grown within California including Illaria, Tether, Stackhouse, No Brainers and Brioche. At least one label used to be produced but is no longer (Esca), although we keep our notes on Esca below for historical reference.

Napa Valley/Sonoma County Wines
Atelier Ilaria
The newest label in the portfolio, is designed by Ilaria, a young woman pursuing a career in fashion design; her interest in this field is clearly evident on the labels. She is also the namesake for the Ilaria wine brand.

The 2021 Atelier Ilaria Chardonnay Napa Valley was sourced from Coombsville, located east of the city of Napa. This wine is deep straw in color; the bouquet offers a medium + intensity with aromas of honeysuckle, apricots and dried peaches, accompanied by notes of butterscotch, coconut and vanilla. Balanced between flavor, texture and acidity, the palate offers flavors of melted butter, honeycomb/beeswax, apricot, yellow nectarines, pineapple, pear, caramel, butterscotch, hazelnut and brioche. Its texture is silky smooth and caresses its way through the palate like Peggy Fleming gracefully gliding across the ice. The finish is clean and disappears quickly, but simultaneously begs another sip. This wine was 100% fermented in barrel and went through full malolactic fermentation. It was aged in 30% new French oak barrels for 21 months prior to bottling.

Ilaria
The focus of this label is on premium single vineyard wines; the first vintage of Ilaria was a 2007 Syrah. While some of the other brands under In Vino Felicitas are sourced from changing vineyard sources, Ilaria is from vineyards that are locked into longer term contracts, thus ensuring consistency of grapes and site.

The 2021 Ilaria Malbec, Napa Valley is deep purple and opaque with an amaranthine rim; this wine is a blend of 77% Malbec and 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, with both varieties sourced from Coombsville and below Atlas Peak. The bouquet is not shy in the least with its fruit forward aromatics the star of the show here. It offers scents of dark plum, blackberry and boysenberry accompanied by other layers of lilacs, old cedar box, damp potting soil, toast, dark chocolate and white pepper. We love the freshness on the palate with brightly lit supporting mouth-watering acidity and flavors of Santa Rosa plum, red cherry, blueberry and currant. Notes of dried tobacco leaf, old cedar wood and crushed dark pepper linger on the finish along both a red and dark fruited berry tartness. The ripe tannins are surprisingly resolved in their youth, gently lingering with their rounded and supple character. This wine shows exceptionally well in its youth, but is also built to age. It was aged for 16 months in 100% French oak barrels of which 50% were new. Pair with a ground beef and tomato based ravioli. Delicious.

The 2015 Ilaria Malbec (84% Malbec and 16% Merlot) is the color of a dark plum skin. Smelling the wine reminds us of picking blackberries on a warm summer’s day as a child, the juice dripping off of our hands while reaching down to smell the freshly picked fruit in our bags. The bouquet is about the fruit and is noticeably dark and brooding in nature and not about the secondary characteristics from the oak. Also includes tangy aromas of ripe plum, is slightly floral and as it breathes, shows some notes of mocha and vanilla. Approachable and juicy across the palate – this wine is layered with dark fruit flavors including blueberry and blackberry. Its texture is appealing – supple but with a noticeable fine grip of tannins on the finish. Also lingers with a hint of mocha and darker spices. A very good value.

Syrah is one of Anna’s favorite varieties, not only because of its unique aromas and flavors but because of the differences it exhibits based on specific terroir and microclimates – i.e., cool weather versus warm weather Syrah. The 2007 vintage was sourced from Coombsville, a rolling hill vineyard covered area just east of the town of Napa which is more on the cooler side of the curve. This small block of a larger vineyard is planted to an Alban clone. Alban produces fine California Central Coast Rhone varietal wines including Syrah. John Alban is often called the “Father of Syrah in California. The 2007 Ilaria Syrah is a noticeably dark, inky wine and while totally young at the time of our review, already shows robust fruit with juicy characteristics. Layered flavors include chocolate and plum with hints of vanilla. This is a wine you buy several of – for drinking now as well as aging.

Other wines produced under Ilaria including Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Stackhouse Wines
Stackhouse focuses on Cabernet Sauvignon made in a style that is highly approachable in its youth and is meant to be enjoyed with food. Bottlings under this label have been from either Napa Valley or Sonoma County.

The 2018 Stackhouse Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley is medium ruby in color; the bouquet offers aromatics of plum, dark cherry, cassis and old cedar box. As the wine breathes, opens to notes of black licorice and some darker dessert spices. The palate reveals more red fruits than darker fruits with flavors of freshly picked red cherry, currant, and cranberry. This wine clearly features bright acidity with a noticeable but not displeasing tartness on the finish along notes of wood spice and some white pepper. The tannins are felt as lighter in texture and are more in the background with the fruit being front and center. This is a very food friendly bottling and can be opened without having to think twice about the price.

Tether Wines
Tether is a project between wine broker Kimberly Jones and Anna. The current focus is on two Napa Valley grown and bottled wines, a Chardonnay and a Cabernet Sauvignon with a brand tagline that reads, “be bold. take risks. always stay connected”.

The 2021 Tether Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley; is deep ruby in color; playful and happy, this bouquet offers aromas of blackberry jam, boysenberry, ripe dark plum, cloves, star anise, cedar wood, smoked sage and Thai ice tea. Ripe but not over ripe, its fruit aromatics are complemented nicely with the more savory scents. Juicy, bright and with balanced acidity, the palate reveals flavors of red plum, currant, red cherry and strawberry. The moderately gripping and broadly coating tannins sport a grainy texture, a drying grip and outpace the fruit on the finish. It also lingers with a note of dried tobacco leaf and cedar. This wine shows very youthful at the time of our tasting, 3 years post vintage. Over delivers for the price. Pair with a Flat iron steak that has marinated overnight using an assortment of spices including a few pinches of mustard powder and ground red Thai chili flakes.

Esca Wines
Their first commercial release was of a brand called Esca from the 2002 vintage. Wines bottled under this brand are no longer being produced and our tasting notes are kept for historical reference.

The 2005 Esca Zinfandel sourced from the Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma County which was the only non-Napa Valley wine the produced at the time. This ruby colored wine has big Zinfandel aromas somewhat floral in nature with notes of violets as well as cedar. The mouth feel is soft and supple with lively fruit and bright acidity. This is a not an overly spicy Zinfandel rather its more elegant with just a touch of spice on the palate. Soft delicate tannins anchor this delightful food friendly wine.

The 2005 Esca Cabernet Sauvignon is priced very well considering it was made with fruit sourced from Oakville and Yountville. Black fruit dominates on the bouquet and on the palate showing up front flavors including blueberry, blackberry and black currant intermingled with nuances of smoky oak. There is a noticeable softness to the mouth feel yet this wine retains mouthwatering natural acidity… a good steak wine! The tannins are the biggest of the three Esca wines we tried but are still well balanced.

International Projects
Through various partnerships overseas, In Vito Veritas produces wines from Italy and France. From Italy, they produce Aslan, Cavallo di Battaglia, M.A. Monticelli and Paisley. Anna & Mario travel to Italy several times a year to work on their various projects including in conjunction with Franco Conterno Cascina Sciulun in Barolo to hand craft the M.A. Monticelli wines. The grapes for these wines are organically farmed and fermented using non inoculated yeast. This wine honors both the time-tested winemaking of the Franco Conterno family as well as a nod to Anna and Mario who still have family in Italy. Like their other wines, these wines (all Nebbiolo) are sold through distributors and are available in select states domestically.

M.A. Monticelli
The 2017 M.A. Monticelli Barolo is medium garnet in color; the bouquet offers aromas of raspberry, and assorted dried berries including currant, cherry and plum. There is a darker savory character including of old leather, tobacco, cedar and assorted dried herbs. The acidity is vivid and focused across the palate paralleled by flavors of raspberry and red cherry. The gravelly, grainy and lightly astringent tannins exert a moderate but not coarse grip and are accompanied by a persistent drying character on the savory and extended finish. Drinking this wine made us think that an ideal pairing would be one of the small wood fired pizzas we enjoy from our friend’s wood-fired brick pizza oven in Calistoga. We tried this wine 7 years post vintage and it still has a number of years ahead of it with the proper aging.

And in France, In Vito Veritas produces Grenache bottled under Operation Dragoon in conjunction with Pierre Gaillard Winery along the banks of the Rhone River. This name refers to the codename of the allied invasion and liberation of southern France during World War II. They also produce a champagne called Clotilde in honor of the woman born in Burgundy in 475 who would later become the first Queen of France. This wine is made in partnership with the Turgy family in Champagne.

This exciting and internationally involved producer anchored by two accomplished and talented Napa Valley based winemakers absolutely deserves to be on your radar. Their combined efforts focus on affordable wines to be enjoyed comfortably in their youth but also have the character to age.

Their wines are best paired with friends and family. For the quality to price ratio, these bottlings are among some of the best values coming out of contemporary Napa Valley. Where else can you find grapes from Oakville and Yountville in a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon priced so reasonably?! And a Napa Valley based small producer that is also so international in their efforts.

Until more recently, the wines are not sold direct; however selected vintages of the Ilaria bottlings are now for sale through VinoShipper. In Vino Veritas continues to work with a number of distributors located throughout the United States and also select international distribution (primarily in Asia).

NOTE: this review has been identified as needing a major update including current more release tasting notes.

Select wines and vintages are sometimes available locally at Backroom Wines and or Outer Space Wines, both in downtown Napa. For more information, or to purchase wines, visit: www.invinofelicitaswines.com