Winemaker Notes
After several years of drought and the North Bay fires at the end of the 2017 harvest, the 2018 vintage was a welcome return to "normal." The winter was cool and with steady rainfall that delayed bud break by about 3-4 weeks compared to the previous years of drought & irregularly warm winters. The flowering period had a minimal amount of rain and wind which provided for nearly ideal fruit set. The rest of the growing season we experienced cool and foggy mornings that allowed for the grapes to ripen slowly. We had our longest harvest to-date starting on August 22nd and ending on October 30th.
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.