Terroir Matters -- Part 3

Continuing our exploration of terroir and not wanting to leave Napa Valley just yet, we decided to visit one fairly small winery today that simply on its property has multiple microclimates. Of course, this is not a forum to advertise individual wineries (we do occasionally mention one by name, but it's more to make a particular point than it is to showcase that winery). Here, we head north on Highway 29 into St Helena where it meets up with and becomes Highway 128. After leaving somewhat quaint St Helena, we continue north until the road veers to the west just before entering Calistoga. And, where 128 heads back to the north a bit, we continue west and climb the steep slopes.

We've entered a Cabernet Sauvignon zone. While they do plant other grapes here, they are predominantly used for blending into wines that are generally at least 95% Cabernet. Just off the Diamond Mountain Road, the main thoroughfare of the Diamond Mountain American Viticultural Area (AVA), we find a somewhat drab looking building set on the hillside, its front elevated a bit on stilts. It's out back, however, where the vines are planted. Let's take a walk.

Immediately behind the building, it's warm, perhaps you might say hot. The soil is rusty shade of red, from the iron that permeates the soil. Our hosts tell us that the wines from this small vineyard are the most approachable of those they make. They drink younger (with an emphasis on younger rather than young). We're served wines from the 2005, 2007, and 2012 vintages. Each is quite drinkable right now, the 05 being the softest of the three. All are dark, but not of that inky, near black color we sometimes find. The chracteristics here are the black currants, as well as dark, slightly sour cherries, with a hint of mint. 

As we get ready to leave this small vineyard to the southwest, we're looking out over a beautiful lagoon. We need only traverse a long iron distance (in golf terms) to get to the next vineyard, but barely shielded by a group of tallish trees, this vineyard feels perhaps 10 degress cooler than the other and it is. The porous gravelly soil from the Jurassic Age river bed allows water to drain quickly. The roots of the vines dig deeper and deeper struggling for water to grow. This produces incredibly stressed and intense grapes. 

We're served four wines here -- the 1990, 1994, 2002, and 2016 -- all from excellent vintages. The 2016 shows potential, but even 4 years later is virtually undrinkable today. Tightly wound and explosive, this wine shows incredible potential, but is not yet approachable. The tannins are so dense as to be nearly painful on the palate. The 02 is an excellent wine, but still drinking quite young. While we happily drink it today, it fees as if it is just beginning to mature. And, both the 94 and the 90, while fully mature, are nowhere near past their prime.

As would be expected, all of the wines from this vineyard have similar characteristics. They are somewhat earthy with dried tobacco and cigar box, but in the younger wines, we get magnificently ripe blackberry of a somewhat jammy nature. 

Finally, we head due north up a slight grade. It's hot here on the south-facing hillside. The soil has the consistency of a just prepared sand trap, but it's a smoky gray in color. We're told that when Mt Konocti last erupted nearly 10 million years ago, it deposited its volcanic ash here (I'm not sure how they know, but we'll take their word). 

The wines here are massive. They are characterized by their smokiness, dried violet much in the nature of Barolo, intense ripe dark berry, and layers of cassis and black licorice. While the 1997 vintage is drinking quite well, even the 1982 that we are served is still quite supple and maintaining flavor and balance.

In total, after looking down at our wearable device, we find that we've not hit 5,000 steps in total since we've been here. All of the grapes planted are the same -- even the same clone. But three different microclimates produce three entirely different wines, all excellent in their own way.