Tierra Roja Vineyard – Oakville, CA
This exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard is owned by the leading lady of Oakville, Linda Neal. With 20 years of vineyard management experience, Linda brings a level of commitment to grape-growing that inspires great respect in the agriculture community of Napa. While some of her illustrious neighbors may be better known (Phelps’ Bacchus Vineyard, Screaming Eagle, Dalle Valle), Linda’s Tierra Roja Vineyard simply sits on the best red-rock site in Oakville. When driving east on the Oakville Crossroad, one would run smack into her vines if it weren’t for the intersection of the Silverado Trail. Most people are busy looking left and right at the traffic. But I can’t resist looking straight up at the 125’ incline that ascends in front of me. The elegantly terraced vines hide all but the largest boulders that peak out from row ends and the terraced steps.
Just off the Silverado Trail, the terrain of the first 20 rows is a gentle slope. A soft, grassy cover crop crackles under foot and the vineyard is punctuated by a few ancient apple trees. The vines are larger here, but the hill rises up… The next section begins to show the prevalence of the red gravel, held tight by a thin band of the distinctive, red topsoil. The vines begin to diminish in size as the rocks increase in size. Finally, your heart pounding, breath puffing, hands grasping, you reach the table-sized boulder that we have named “big red.” This marks the beginning of the upper third of the vineyard. Turning to the valley floor to the west, the view spreads out to take in the knolls of Yountville, Oakville and Rutherford as you are confronted by the massive wall of the Veeder Mountain range that rises before you. The marriage of perfect exposure, rocky hillside soils, personal commitment, and savvy experience translates into a Cabernet Sauvignon that is envied by many of the greatest vineyards throughout the world. The Cabernet’s distinctive black currant, cassis, and dark cherry flavors and aromas are carried in a smooth coat of powdery, cocoa-like tannins. Consistency, power, elegance, age-worthy balance, and layered flavors that evolve during your enjoyment are a tall order for any vineyard. That is the treasure of the Tierra Roja Vineyard.