THE JUDGE CHARDONNAY NAPA VALLEY is grown on a rocky hillside just east of the town of Napa, which was acquired by John’s grandparents in the 1920’s as a potential quarry site. The extremely rocky ground produces a miniscule crop of around one ton per acre, yielding less than one-half bottle of wine per vine. Robert Parker called this super-concentrated wine “the essence of Chardonnay – one of the most profound Chardonnays made in California.” The Judge is fermented in all new, Burgundian oak barrels with the indigenous yeast and bacteria requiring six to twelve months to finish the alcoholic and malolactic fermentations. Resting on the primary lees for fifteen months before the first racking, the wine is clarified by gravity. This allows bottling without filtration or fining after nearly two years of barrel age. The wine is named after John's late father who was the judge in Napa County from 1959 to 1985.
CHARDONNAY NAPA VALLEY is a blend of our shy-bearing blocks of the Hudson and Hyde vineyards in the cool Napa Carneros. The Hudson vines provide the extravagant richness and the peach pit and almond aromatic intensity. The Hyde vineyard contributes to the mineral depth of the wine and the super high tones in the aroma. Like the Judge, the Napa Valley Chardonnay develops for 22 months in barrel before bottling. This unusually long barrel-ageing regime encompasses the slow fermentation and the subsequent very gentle exposure to oxygen, which both prepares the wine for graceful bottle ageing and unifies the wine’s diverse character into one complex voice.
CABERNET SAUVIGNON NAPA VALLEY is a blend of two vineyards: our 1000-vine block in the Kongsgaard vineyard in the hills east of Napa and the Abreu Madrona Ranch in St. Helena. Our vineyard is composed of four Cabernet clones from the great chateaus of the Medoc. Abreu grows for us two heirloom California selections that proved themselves in the early days in Napa. The key to Cabernet for us is getting the tannin balanced properly – strong enough for staying power, but silky and gracious for the near term. These qualities are governed first by the two growing sites, next by our farming techniques, and finally by our cellar practices. At every meticulous step we think first about the balance. These choices guide the structural development of the wine. Look for graphite, cedar, and violets in the aroma, and enjoy the luscious and powerful flavors.
SYRAH NAPA VALLEY is the result of a very gratifying viticultural relationship with the exceptional Carneros grower, Lee Hudson. Hudson has 2.7 acres of volcanic soil (unusual in the Carneros) committed to Syrah, which bear fruit of unique intensity when thinned to one cluster per shoot. Harvested with mature, silky tannins, the wine is fermented and macerated in 120-gallon puncheons for full extraction of the white pepper, violets, and dark chocolate character typical of the noble Syrah. After evolving for two years in French oak barrels (50% new) and only two rackings, the Syrah is bottled without filtration or fining. The wine is expected to evolve in the bottle for decades.
GRENACHE/SYRAH NAPA VALLEY is made only in rare vintages when the Grenache in Carneros reaches exceptional maturity. If extended, warm, dry, fall weather grants the Grenache its idiomatic ripe berry flavors and graphite minerality, we pick it at the same time as our Hudson Syrah and co-ferment equal portions in small open-top oak fermenters, which allows us to delicately extract the color and tannin while submerging the cap by hand. The blend is then aged 20 months in 120-gallon puncheons for the evolution of the intense fragrance and luscious mouth feel. In these perfect vintages, the Grenache/Syrah is an intensely hedonistic and silky wine showing off the astonishing raspberry and strawberry fragrance of Grenache with the brooding gaminess of Syrah.
VIO ROUS NAPA VALLEY comes from four rows of Viognier and Roussanne vines grown on the Kongsgaard family vineyard with the extremely low yields typical of the property. The blend is made in the field, and the two varieties are pressed together and barrel fermented in old French oak barrels without the addition of cultured yeast. To achieve the ideal integration of the nearly opposite qualities of these two varieties, the blend differs from year to year and either grape can be the major contributor. Unlike the Chardonnays, the VioRous is bottled after just 10 months in barrel to capture the fresh fruit aromas. The high-toned perfume typical of Viognier is brought down to earth by the rustic Roussanne, creating an exotic, hedonistic wine.
LEARN ABOUT THE WINE
