L.A. WINELINE NEW WEB SITE FETES 35TH YEAR FOR SMITH-MADRONE.

Byline: LARRY LIPSON

High up, as high as 2,000 feet, on Spring Mountain in St. Helena, Calif., the Smith-Madrone Winery put down stakes -- actually 19,000 of them, pounded in by hand -- in 1971.

Stuart Smith and brother Charles, the winery's owners-pounders, continue to make around 5,000 cases a year of estate-grown, carefully hand-crafted riesling, chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon, often producing polished wines that have gained international repute.

The name Madrone comes from the madrone (also known as madrono) trees on the property.

This year, the winery celebrates its 35th anniversary by launching a new Web site: www.smithmadrone

is35.com that features the Smiths' background and the winery's history and achievements.

It also allows Smith-Madrone devotees to type in their opinions.

Although it started predominantly as a riesling producer, the current Smith-Madrone cabernet sauvignon (2002), a winner of five gold medals, denotes the winery's strong red-wine presence.

Yet its 2005 riesling continues to merit the attention this varietal has garnered for the winery over the years.

Smith-Madrone boasts that it was the lone winery in America for 15 years to use simply the name ``riesling'' (remember gray, white, sylvaner, emerald and Johannisberg rieslings?) and it reminds us that its 1977 Smith-Madrone bottling was named Best Riesling in the World in 1979 in Europe at the Gault-Millau International Wine Championships.

The winery also claims to be the first American producer to re-release long, cellar-aged rieslings. For instance, the 1997 Smith Madrone riesling was re-released in 2004.

After 35 years, how does Stuart Smith feel about the brothers' hard work and accomplishments?

``I feel enormously fortunate to be able to do what it is that I love,'' he said.

And so, quite often, just as fortunate, are the buyers of Smith-Madrone wines.

Information: [phone], or www.smithmadrone.com.

HERE FROM IBERIA: New to this country are Spain's Bodegas Aresan label and Portugal's Malhadinha Nova label.

Quintessential, a Napa-based importing and marketing firm, anticipates that the wines will be available in major U.S. markets in October with the Spanish bottlings running between $17 and $40 and the Portuguese wines at $30 and $90.

Quintessential is also distributing two Italian labels -- nine different La Tunella wines ($17 to $60) and a Casalnova prosecco sparkler ($15).

Information: [phone], or www.quintessentialwines.com.

NEW RELEASES: Only grapes from Sonoma County's Russian River Valley were selected for the 2005 Martin Ray chardonnay ($20). But, for the same winery's 2002 cabernet sauvignon ($20), fruit came from Napa, Mendocino and Santa Clara counties. Information: [phone], or www.martinraywinery.com. ... Similarly, the 2004 chardonnay ($28) from the just-released Godwin Family Vineyards also utilizes Russian River Valley grapes. Information: [phone] or www.wimbledonwine.com. ... Trumpeting the 2003 vintage in Washington state as ``one of the best in recent memory,'' Canoe Ridge has sent forth both its merlot ($25) and cabernet sauvignon ($28) from that year. Information: [phone], or www.diageowines.com. ... Two percent chardonnay was added to the 98 percent sauvignon blanc in Calistoga Cellars' new 2005 vintage ($18), and 2 percent syrah was added to Calistoga's 2003 Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon ($34), also 98 percent cab. Information: [phone], or www.calistogacellars.com. ... Meanwhile Provenance offers its 2005 Rutherford Sauvignon Blanc ($19), featuring 100 percent estate-grown fruit. Information: [phone], or www.diageowines.com. ... The 2001 Rodney Strong Symmetry ($55) red meritage, which won a double gold at this year's San Francisco Chronicle wine competition, hits the shelves along with the Strong 2003 cabernet sauvignon ($19), the latter surprisingly rich in flavor and long in finish. Information: [phone], or www.rodneystrong.com.

SIPS AND NIBBLES: The previously announced celebration of the life of Diamond Creek Vineyards founder Al Brounstein, 86, who died June 26, will take place Thursday at the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena. Information: [phone]. ... They're calling the new Happy Camper screw-cap wines catchy, a fun brand, nostalgic, a great value at $8.99 a bottle, not solely intended for the camping crowd but definitely appealing to RV owners and -- with true modesty -- uniquely and cleverly marketed. Information: [phone], or www.happycamperwines.com.

Larry Lipson, [phone]

larry.lipson(at)dailynews.com