Afternoon in the Vineyards: 2017.

This afternoon, Vinomaker and I ventured out of Vinoland, but we didn't go too far.  Staying fairly close to our Coombsville home, we decided to attend Afternoon in the Vineyards the annual event hosted by the Napa Valley Vintners.  And, for the first time, Vinodog 2 came along with us.
The folks at Faust, our vineyard of choice, farm approximately 112 acres in Coombsville's gently, rolling hills.  The vineyard is planted to five grape varieties; Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Syrah and Sauvignon blanc.  And all the vines, from what I could see, are head-trained and cane-pruned.  The weather was a tad cool, the scenery was beautiful and V2 had a poo.  Not much more to say really.  Oh, except that I did taste a Faust 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon, but didn't think an awful lot of it; too plummy and one-dimensional, not a lot going on.

Cult vineyard?

So I have been giving some thought to the whole cult wine phenomenon - just a little, not a lot. (The subject was recently raised, in the comments section of my 'Pluviophile...' post, by New Hampshire Wine-man.)
I have to say, I am more than a little sceptical when it comes to the whole cult wine thing, (I have been accused of being a doubting Thomas in the past).  But I cannot ignore the fact that some people might, and do, pay an ungodly amount of money for a wine that merely has the perception of being extra special, for one reason or another.  To me the whole cult wine faction, amongst the wine buying public, is akin to those folks who have to wear the latest designer labels.
Just last week, at a Napa Valley Vintners event, I was able to taste a Herb Lamb Vineyards, 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley AVA).  The vineyard this wine is produced from, the Herb Lamb Vineyard, is perhaps better known in cult wine-circles as the vineyard from which one of the first cult wines in the Napa Valley hailed; the Colgin Cellars, 'Herb Lamb Vineyard' Cabernet Sauvignon.  The Colgin was a wine with all the hallmarks of cult status; small production, vineyard designation, high critical acclaim and a lofty price point.  But what actually made it a cult wine in the first place?  The proprietor?  The winemaker? The vineyard? The farming practices?  Hmm.
Well, the commonality here, with Colgin and the wine I tasted, is, of course, the Herb Lamb Vineyard itself.  The seven acre vineyard is located in the hills just below the Howell Mountain AVA at some 800 feet in elevation. The soil is rocky and the exposure is northeastern.  Is great terroir, a terroir that produces high quality grapes, the sole factor in determining that a resulting wine will be of cult status?  I think not. To me it is arbitrary and faddish.  There, I said it.
And how was the Herb Lamb Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon?  Smooth, sufficient fruit up front,  soft tannins, a little lacking in the acid department, a brusque finish, just okay.  But then, I'm not really a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon-type Vinogirl.  No, I happen to be in the possession of taste buds of the doubting Thomas-persuasion.

Morning in the Winery: 4.

This morning, Vinomaker and I ventured upvalley to partake in the annual event, Morning in the Winery (MITW).  This year there were five wineries to choose from; Humanitas Wines, Bouchaine Vineyards, Odette Estate Winery, Silver Oak Cellars and Beringer Vineyards.  We would normally pick the winery closest to home to visit, but a shortish drive up to Odette Estate Winery seemed in order.  (I have been wanting to visit this particular winery for a while.)   This may have been only the fourth time MITW has been held, but the event seems to be a victim of its own success.  MITW is a good event and I did enjoy myself, but perhaps not as much as at previously held events.
Despite some of the heaviest rain of the season so far, some 300 plus people converged upon Odette, a smallish winery (which was formerly Steltzner Winery), all of whom were milling about and trying to avoid the heavy rain.  A general air of disorganization hung over the event, much like the low-lying rain clouds above the Stag's Leap District AVA, but it didn't stop me from tasting through the Odette wines.  And the wines were; a 2014 Reserve (titter, titter) Chardonnay (oaky, sigh), $66; a 2014 Adaptation Cabernet Sauvignon (tasted unfinished), $54; a 2013 Odette Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (pleasant, nice lavender vibe), $126; and a 2014 Adaptation Petite Sirah (soft, fruit-forward, with an appealing acidity that balanced the chalky-tannin character that poorly made Petite Sirah can exhibit in spades, best of the bunch), $44.
As an aside, when Odette first opened to the public, the winery's By Appointment Only (BAO) sign was conspicuously located on the first slat below the Odette Estate name.  After several months, perhaps, (I drive by this winery on my way to TWWIAGE) the BAO sign had migrated to a lower slat and was, consequently, obscured by the landscaping.  Then, just recently, the sign was newly relocated to its current, and once again visible, position. Curious, I thought then.  Now I know why.
Without diving head first into the intricacies of Napa County's Winery Definition Ordinance, I think it is safe to say that Odette rethought the positioning of their BAO sign because they had signed up to particpate in a high profile event, i.e., MITW.  Whilst an obscured BAO sign will increase the number of walk-in tasters, thus maximizing potential wine sales, it will also maximize how much trouble a winery can get into with Napa County, (dependent upon how egregiously a winery flouts the limitations set forth in its use permit.)  In 2013, Caymus agreed to pay a $1,000,000 fine to the county for violating the terms defined in its particular use permit.  It's alcohol and it's regulated.
I shall keep my eye on Odette's peripatetic signage.

Afternoon in the Vineyards: 2016.

Of the six vineyards to choose from for the annual Napa Valley Vintners community event that is Afternoon in the Vineyards, Vinomaker and I opted to visit Chimney Rock Winery.  I had never been to Chimney Rock before - though I drive past this winery all the time on my way to TWWIAGE - so this seemed like a great opportunity to try somewhere new.  It was a grey, drizzly morning and I did have second thoughts about attending the event altogether. It would have been really easy to just stay home, but in the end I dragged myself, and Vinomaker, out into my trusty Vinovehicle and headed up north.
The event started well as upon arrival I was handed a taste of Chimney Rock's 2013 Sauvignon Gris (Napa Valley AVA).  Sauvignon Gris is an unusual grape variety for the Napa Valley.  The wine was a fairly pleasant quaff, but had a tad too high alcohol-burn thing on the finish. Viticulturalist Doug Fletcher, apparently a long time employee of Chimney Rock, (I think he even mentioned that he had been the winemaker at some point), was our vineyard tour guide for the event.  I say tour, but a quick stroll across 25 yards of tarmac to the first vine in sight, in my mind, does not constitute a tour. The talk started well as Doug seemed like he was going to address such viticultural specifics as soil composition, grape varieties and clones.  But he strayed off topic when someone asked him about the use of Roundup in the vineyard (the whole glycophosphate debate).  And that was it, in short shrift my group was hustled from the edge of the vineyard back onto the tarmac to make way for the next group.  I had a quick look at the tasting room and then departed.
All in all, this year's Afternoon in the Vineyards, and perhaps it was just this particular venue, Chimney Rock, was a bit of a disappointment.  Sigh.

Morning in the Winery: 3.

This morning, Vinomaker and I attended the 3rd annual Morning in the Winery (MITW), an event sponsored by the Napa Valley Vintners and meant specifically for locals.  This year there were six wineries to choose from; Leaf and Vine, Starmont Winery & Vineyards, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, ZD Wines, Frank Family Vineyards and Laura Michael Wines.  I chose Starmont simply because it was closest to home.  Actually, in all honesty, Leaf and Vine is probably fractionally closer to Vinoland, but I have been wanting to visit Starmont for a while.  So Starmont, located on the very edge of the Los Carneros AVA, it was.
Winemaker Jeff Crawford was our host for a tour of the facility which is a certified Napa Green Winery (and he went on about the winery's greenness extensively).  But he also spoke a little bit about viticulture, winemaking and the history of Starmont itself.  Starmont is owned by the Schlatter family who also own Merryvale Vineyards.  Whilst touring, I got to taste a Chardonnay and Pinot noir, not surprising as those two grape varieties are widely grown in the Carneros.  After the tour was over, Vinomaker and I wandered into the tasting room where they were letting visitors taste a Starmont, 2012 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon.  Not an outstanding Napa Cabernet, but outstanding because its retail price was a paltry $29.00, (i.e. paltry by Napa standards).
Overall, I must say, it was a very pleasant visit to Starmont.  Nice building, very clean and organised, good wines and a chance to get away from a grey, drizzly January morning.

Afternoon in the Vineyards: 2015.

The 15th annual 'Afternoon in the Vineyards' was held today, so Vinomaker and I hopped into our trusty Vinovehicle and headed over to the nearest participating vineyard to Vinoland.  This year there were 6 vineyards to choose from, one more than last year - it's a good community event.

Boyd Family Vineyards is located on Big Ranch Road in the Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley AVA.  I love Big Ranch Road, so close to downtown Napa yet it feels like it is miles away from anywhere. Proprietor Joan Boyd was hosting an informal talk in the vineyard when Vinomaker and I arrived.  Mrs Boyd certainly seemed to know her stuff, so refreshing that a vineyard owner could be so knowledgeable and hands on.  There were three Boyd Family wines available to taste, a 2012 Merlot was the best of the bunch, in my opinion.  The Boyd Family dogs, one yellow and one black labrador, were on hand making sure people were having a good time.  Love vineyard dogs.

Vinomaker asked Joan what variety were the new vines that we had passed by on the drive in.  "Greco di Tufo," she replied, "but they're not mine."  The baby vines apparently belong to Robert Biale Vineyards.

Greco di Tufo is a very unusual grape variety for California.  A native of Italy, Greco di Tufo makes an aromatic, medium bodied, citrusy wine with aging potential.  It'll be a few years before I can taste the wine that Biale will produce from these grapevines, but I'm going to try to remember to look out for it in the future.

Morning in the Winery: 2.

I took a little time off from pruning this morning to attend the 2nd annual Morning in the Winery (MITW) event.  Sponsored by the Napa Valley Vintners, and billed as a "casual, community open house," MITW gives locals the chance to experience a winery in a way, perhaps, that most people don't get the chance to do, like the opportunity to wander through tank rooms, barrel rooms and crush pads.
There were 5 wineries to choose from; Spelletich, Monticello, Markham, Dutch Henry and Cuvaison.  Vinomaker and I decided to visit Cuvaison because we fancied a bit of a drive out to Carneros.  It was a gorgeous morning for a visit to a winery.  Cuvaison winemaker Steve Rogstad hosted our tour which was fun and informative.  I learned that Cuvaison is Fish Friendly.  Yikes, I think everyone will be Fish Friendly soon, (it seems the new, trendy thing to do).  MITW is a good event, hope there will be a number 3.

Afternoon in the Vineyards: 2014.

The 14th annual 'Afternoon in the Vineyards' was held today, so Vinomaker and I put on some sensible vineyard-boots and headed over to the Carneros American Viticultural Area.  The closest vineyard, on the list of six from which to choose, was that of Pine Ridge Vineyards - their Carneros Collines vineyard on Buhman Avenue.
Pine Ridge grow Chardonnay and Merlot at this location and both varietal wines were available for tasting, so we did (Vinomaker even went back for seconds).  It's a nice vineyard.  Viticultural experts who work for the Napa Valley Grapegrowers, a co-sponsor of the event, were on hand to answer any questions visitors may have had.  The bottom, level half of the vineyard had originally been planted to Merlot and had been grafted over to Chardonnay clones 76, 95 and 96 within the last 2 years (I would guess). 
The old Merlot trunks were quite old and gnarly.  There were lots of questions from the attendees about these not-so-normal looking grapevines; How does one go about attaching the bud?  And how does one end up with the two arms of a bi-lateral cordon?  It was fun to stand in the sun, with my 2 ounces of Merlot, and just listen to the conversations.  Vinomaker and I didn't stay for too long, after all, I had things to do in my own vineyard.  It's always a fun event.

Morning in the Winery.

Couldn't think of a better way to spend one hour on a drizzly Napa Saturday morning, than visiting a winery that was participating in the inaugural Morning in the Winery (MITW) open house event.  So Vinomaker and I nipped over to Trefethen Family Vineyards.
A complementary event to 'Afternoon in the Vineyards' (also hosted by the Napa Valley Vintners), I chose to visit Trefethen because it was the nearest winery to Vinoland of the five wineries that were participating.  But also because I like the fact that Trefethen is still a family owned winery and that they give back to the community: in the late 2000s the family made a large donation that made it possible to fund the construction of part of Napa Valley College's teaching winery.
The Trefethen's have been making wine in the Napa Valley for over 40 years in a historic three-story, gravity flow, wooden structure that was built in 1886 by a Mr. Hamden McIntyre.  Originally called Eshcol, the winery survived the late 19th, early 20th century phylloxera infestation in the valley, only to see the business irreparably damaged by the introduction, in 1920, of Prohibition.  Eshcol closed it's doors in 1940 and remained closed until the Trefethen's bought it in 1968.
The Trefethen facility is a great place to visit and the MITW was a well organised event.  Visitors were able to visit several stations and talk to experts in the fields of viticulture and winemaking and taste wine.  Three wines were available to taste and although it was a bit early in the day I did go ahead and taste.  The 2011 Harmony Chardonnay was a little over-oaked and thin, but drinkable.  The 2012 Pinot noir was pinot-like, but also very thin.  The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon was, well, just let me say that a sip of this wine took care of one of my five daily fruits and vegetables.  Can anyone say green beans with me?  It was very vegetal and also a little thin.
All in all, MITW was a fun event.  I hope it was successful enough with Napa residents to ensure that there is a 2015 MITW.

Afternoon in the Vineyards: 2013.

Today was the 13th annual Afternoon in the Vineyards, a casual meet-and-greet event sponsored by the Napa Valley Vintners that allows Napa Valley residents to get up close and personal with their friendly, neighbourhood viticulturist/vintner.
Vinomaker and I decided to pop over to Ackerman Family Vineyards which is a stone's throw, well, maybe two stones and two throws, from Vinoland.  The past couple of days I have been busy suckering vines, so this was to be a pleasant diversion.  It was a glorious day, maybe perhaps a little too warm to be stomping around a dusty vineyard other than my own little corner of Eden, but I always enjoy visiting new vineyards...besides there are usually wines to be sampled.
The Ackerman family have a very nice vineyard which is planted to modified-lyre, head trained, cane pruned (the tour guide's description, not mine) Cabernet Sauvignon vines and is certified organic (don't get me started).  A lot of rescue horses (the horse-stall barn was very fancy).  And a nice location with extensive Coombsville vistas.  Unfortunately, the two vintages of their Cabernet Sauvignon that I tried, the 2007 and 2008, both wonderful vintages for Napa in general, were not to my liking.  Both wines displayed stewed-fruit characteristics which, given the relatively cool climate in Coombsville, I can only attribute to something amiss in the winemaking department, perhaps.  But then, what do I know?  I just know they weren't to my taste...beautiful property though.

Read the label.

Something a little different in work today - I labelled TWWIAGE's Premiere Napa Valley auction lot.  
Held back in February, Premiere Napa Valley is The Napa Valley Vintners (NVV) non-profit trade association's annual wine futures auction.   This year's auction saw 200 premium Napa Valley wine lots bring in $3.1 million in just 3 hours of bidding.   The proceeds from the auction are used by the NVV to promote and protect the Napa Valley AVA -  you know, they need ready cash for the usual stuff; law suits, lobbyists etc.
I think it's the sixth or seventh time I have volunteered to do this particular little job of applying labels supplied by NVV to 10 cases of shiners - bottles without labels - of a unique batch of TWWIAGE's wine.  I originally volunteered because nobody else wanted to do it, but I rather enjoy the process and don't mind doing it one bit.
Names have been removed to protect the guilty.

Snooze.

This weekend marks the occurrence of the 32nd annual, larger-than-wine spectacular that is Auction Napa Valley. Proceeds from the four day event are donated, by the Napa Valley Vintners, to local nonprofits.  It's a good weekend for me to stay well away from the valley's two main thoroughfares and concentrate on my jubilee celebrations at home.

Wake me up when it's over...

Afternoon in the Vineyards: 2012.

The 12th annual Afternoon in the Vineyards is being held today. At five different vineyards, from Napa to St. Helena, attendees get to rub shoulders with viticulturists, winemakers and vineyard owners if so inclined.
It's a great event, meant specifically for locals, and is hosted by the Napa Valley Grapegrowers and the Napa Valley Vintners.
It's free, the weather is gorgeous, there is wine to be had, and one can get to act like an über-vine-nerd...like me.  And, if I'm in attendance it means I'm not out in my vineyard stuffing shoots!   What's not to love about such an event?

An afternoon in a vineyard.

I spent some time today amongst grapevines though not in Vinoland, but in somebody else's vineyard for a change.

The 11th annual 'Afternoon in the Vineyards' was held today, so I took a break from suckering the vines to pop along to a local vineyard, accompanied by Vinomaker, to see what was happening out in the great, wide world. Usually, these events turn into nothing more than your common or garden wine tasting, so on the way there I determined that I was going to find someone to talk to about the vineyard...and I was in luck. Having a chat with the proprietor Tim Darrin was fun, but the real treat for me was getting to pick the vineyard manager Michael Wolf's brain.

Mr. Wolf has been involved in the development and management of Californian vineyards for over 30 years: he knows his stuff. Rootstock selection, permanent wilting point, field capacity, apical dominance, unilateral cordon training, adventitious buds...someone, please, stop me!

I was having way too much fun. I am such a vine-nerd!