The Old Vines
Most vineyards in Napa Valley are neat rows of trellised vines. Not this one. This is a meandering time capsule of a vineyard. And the wine that it creates is truly unusual.
“Beyond organic,” this collection of head-trained heritage grape varieties has been dry-farmed without conventional agrichemicals of any type since the mid-1940’s. The only fertilizers applied are dried sea kelp. The only fungicides are made from lavender soap, olive oil and garlic extracts.
The youngest vines are 70+ years old with many of the vines exceeding 90 years of age. The varieties include Green Hungarian, Semillon, Sauvignon Vert, Golden Chasselas, Pinot Blanc and others. All of the vines are either planted to the St. George rootstock or on their original vinifera roots. Yields are approximately 1 ton / acre or 16 hL/hectare in a productive year.
This intriguing white field blend has exotic aromas of apple tarte tatin and star anise. The palate is round, full and bright – a delicious combination of traits. Roasted pear and succulent green gage plum buoy the deeper honeycomb-like waxy traits that arise on the finish.
Bottled unfined and unfiltered with yeast lees retained in the bottle for complexity, this wine is unlike anything else produced in California. What an unusual wine – a real rarity.
