Winemaker Notes
Pritchard Hill on the eastern side of Napa Valley is a special neighborhood, with some of the best known names in Napa wine. At an elevation of nearly 1300 feet, Houyi Vineyard sits above the fog line, its vines soaking in the morning sun. The site – stunningly beautiful -- is farmed by David Abreu, with a crew dedicated exclusively to this vineyard. The soils here are unimaginably rocky –requiring significant resources to plant and farm. They have about seven acres under contract – all Cabernet Sauvignon – with different exposures, slopes, rootstocks, clones.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
From Pritchard Hill, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Houyi Vineyard Pritchard Hill is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the iron-rich, red soils of that famous hill above the Oakville crossroads. There are 425 cases of this wine made from Cabernet Sauvignon clones 4, 7 and 337. The Houyi Vineyard, owned by the Changs, is in an expensive neighborhood of superstars, including Brand, David Arthur and Colgin. Well above the fog-line, this area gets very warm days with plenty of UV sunshine and cool nights, which give this wine great acidity to go along with its stunning display of chocolaty, blackcurrant fruit intermixed with blackberry, graphite and forest floor. There are some spring flowers as well. A full-bodied, stunning wine, very much in the Realm style, it should drink well for 20+ years.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.