Coombsville

This morning, we are off to the newest American Viticultural Area (AVA) in Napa Valley, Coombsville. We could take another trip south on Silverado Trail to get there, but let's try a little bit of new scenery. So, we head to the east on Highway 128 to the east of Atlas Peak before veering to the south and then slightly to the west.

Where should we go? While a relatively small, by area, AVA, Coombsville's elevation runs from essentially sea level at the banks of the Napa River to nearly 2000 feet high up in the Vaca Mountains. Regardless, the soils here are gravelly with scattered rocks sitting on a large alluvial fan primarily from the deposits of Mount George.

What makes Coombsville somewhat unique is its proximity to San Pablo Bay. The breezes coming off the bay provide for a cooling effect as well as a significant morning fog. So, while the weather is warm enough to produce extremely high-quality Cabernet, the cool nights and typical lack of extreme heat allow for the production of both rraditional Burgundy grapes, Chardonnay, and even the finicky Pinot Noir, but the grapes that predominate remain the traditional Bordeaux grapes.

All that said, where the grapes are down closer to the river, we are seeing more and more plantings of Pinot Noir. Dark and often spicy, these wines are reminiscent of the same grapes coming out of the southern part of Willammette Valley in such places as Eola-Amity Hills.

But, as in much of Napa, Cabernet remains king. Look for powerful, yet balanced wines featuring notes of tobacco, anise, blackberry and boysenberry as signatures. And, since much of the Cabernet here is grown on steeply sloped south and southwest facing hillsides and terraces, the intense afternoon sun sometimes featuring glare coming off the bay can result in wines with particularly intense flavors.

If these wines have a particular appeal to you, it's almost a necessity to have an in with the winery. Most Coombsville production is quite limited and allocation may be only to regular buyers.


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