Varozza Family Vineyard – St. Helena, CA
When you have paid your dues in Napa, there is a confidence and grace that settles in like a fog from the Pacific Coast. If you mentioned the Varozzas to locals in the upper Napa Valley the term “native son” would be redundant. This is old Napa. How old? Their barn was the second bonded winery in the Napa Valley built in 1885. Fair enough, they purchased the property in 1913. But they have shown the good judgment to restore the stone and redwood structure back to its pre-prohibition splendor. This isn’t a major expansion or tear-down mind you. They are re-pointing the locally quarried stone walls and adding structural support where necessary. The glory of this old Napa structure will sit calmly next to their home, the vineyard all around.
The north half of the Varozza Vineyard is what I like to think of as a vine museum. When 85% of the Napa Valley vineyards have been replanted within the last 15 years due to a vine pest known as phylloxera, the site of un-trellised vineyard with 30, 40 and 50 year old vines is a delight to behold. Exquisite examples of Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay vines thrive in this classic, Bale Loam soil type. The Bale reference is to the prevalent Napa soil type that is present in the better vineyards that are located on the valley floor. With the Napa River some 200 yards away, the classic components of a loam (sand, silt, clay, and stone) are punctuated by bands of smooth, round, golf ball sized rocks that have been carried down from the Spring and Howell Mountains.
These older vineyard blocks are dry-farmed. This means that no irrigation is applied unless an old vine has to be replaced. We are working with Jack to restore the older blocks and we have experimented with cover crop blends that improve the texture of the soil and help improve water retention in the dry summer months. The ethic of preserving the past while respecting the future is a way of life at the Varozza’s. We are honored to be a small part of this process.
A mentor once told me that “the great vineyards transcend the grape varieties which are planted there.” She attested that the truly remarkable terroir had a trait which somehow translated into a flavor that immediately betrayed their identity. This is true of the Varozza Vineyard. As with some of the finest white wines of the world, the Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay here have a decisive bend. While the Chardonnay has a glassy, sleek elegance and the Sauvignon Blanc has an exuberant pungency, both of the wines have the magic trait that marks this vineyard; minerality. Trying them side-by-side is the test of this statement. I encourage you to do so. Not only is this the realization of tasting that special something, that “somewhereness” that winemakers refer to as terroir, its delicious fun to boot.