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A handful of the brave immigrants who ventured forth into California in the 19th Century realised that Napa Valley was a very special place indeed, and great wines have been made in Napa ever since. Its unique location on the west coast of the US located just north of the San Francisco Bay area affords Napa lots of warm sunshine tempered by cooling sea breezes, creating the perfect conditions for grape growing. The Journal studies three outstanding wineries in Napa Valley to find out why their wines are so special.

Chateau Montelena: the definitive California winery

If ever there was a winery which summed up the very essence of Napa Valley wines it is Chateau Montelena. Developed by a San Francisco entrepreneur named Alfred L. Tubbs in 1882, the winery saw its first planting that year, followed by the building of the dramatic and imposing chateau itself shortly afterwards and by the end of the 19th Century the winery, now named Chateau Montelena (after its location, at the base of Mount Saint Helena), was the seventh largest in the Napa Valley.

Prohibition only stopped the production of wine for the winery for a short time and the family continued to grow grapes until it was sold in 1958 to Yort and Jeanie Frank, who beautified the overgrown land on which the Chateau stood.

Eventually the winery began production again under the stewardship of Jim Barrett, who rejuvenated the entire winery and in 1972 wines were again produced.

The significance of the redevelopment of the winery was huge because its new production of wines actually helped to define Napa Valley as an internationally renowned wine producing area.

In 1976 the famous Paris Tasting, in which French wine experts were asked to blind taste Chardonnay wines from Burgundy and Napa Valley, was the defining moment for Chateau Montelena. The French wine experts all voted the Chateau Montelena as the top wine (much to their consternation), proving (what California wine makers already knew) that California wines were up there with the best.  

Not only is the climate conducive to the growth of grapes but the soil is also incredibly accommodating. The Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel are grown in a unique location that has a varied terrain, from flat to steep hillsides. At its base, the soil is particularly rich with minerals, while the most prevalent soil is also rich and nutrient alluvial soil extending out from the Napa Valley River. The result is rich, complex and aromatic wines, all hand crafted in Chateau Montelena cellars by an experienced team and made from hand picked grapes.

Lee Royle from Jacques Scott discusses his favourite wines from the winemaker: “My pick from Chateau Montelena is of course the Chardonnay that sprang them to fame in the Seventies. We currently are on the 2007 vintage of Chateau Montelena Chardonnay which was a stunning year for producing Chardonnay in Napa.”

Lee says the wine shows a beautiful pale golden straw colour, aromas of orange blossom, citrus, and stone fruits open the bouquet followed by layers of tropical fruits such as pineapple and starfruit. 

“Excellent weight and acid balance throughout refresh the palate, while subtle notes of oak spice and vanilla linger at the end of the very long finish. The Chardonnay is available in Jacques Scott stores for CI$54.99 and the Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon is also available at CI$51.99.”

Grgich Hills: a biodynamic sensation

In charge of the 1976 Paris tasting winning wines at Chateau Montelena was a winemaker by the name of Miljenko “Mike” Grgich. His victory in the famous tasting led him to create Grgich Hills, in conjunction with Austin Hills and his sister Mary Lee Strebl from the Hills Bros Coffee family. Hills owned prime vineyards in Rutherford in the heart of Napa Valley and thus an important partnership was forged between the businessman and the acclaimed winemaker.

Grgich Hills continues to make a signature Chardonnay even today, and has been drunk by dignitaries around the world. In recent times, the winery owes much of its success to a complete turnaround in its farming methods, embracing biodynamic farming as the way forward.

The initial decision to turn to this new concept came about after vines suffered a virus which threatened the important old vines. Instead of taking out the infected vines the winemakers decided to switch to biodynamic farming, with the end result that vines were saved and wines became more intense and richer.

Biodynamic farming, as with organic farming, does not employ any herbicides, pesticides, fungicides or synthetic fertilisers. But biodynamic practices go a good few steps further than organic in that they embrace a holistic approach to farming, introducing biodiversity into their methods and ensuring that they are in tune with nature at a spiritual level. At Grgich Hills cover crops are introduced, for example, which attract insects that are beneficial to the environment and chickens were brought in to eat pests and add natural nitrogen to the soil.

In 2006 all 366 acres of the Grgich Hills winery had been converted and now all vineyards are certified organic and Biodynamic by the Demeter Association, the certifying agency in the United States.

Lee says: “The concept of biodynamic farming is one that I am fascinated by. The concept of a vineyard as a complete living, breathing, self-sustaining entity without the use of herbicides and pesticides can only lead to a good thing. That would be the Grgich Cabernet Sauvignon priced at CI$69.99.”

Lee says they are slowly moving on to the 2005 vintage which was a consistent, cooler, growing season in Napa. 

“This resulted in more subtle reds as oppose to the “jammy” type wines that often come out of the area. A full bodied Cabernet with black licorice, plums, cassis, cedar and spice all combining to give a beautiful red wine. Grgich Hills also make a Fume Blanc made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc fermented in used oak barrels.  This method gives the wine a creamy roundness in addition to the exuberant fruit of Sauvignon Blanc, priced at CI$35.99.”  

Cuvaison: caring about sustainability

Another Napa Valley winery totally in tune with nature and focussing very much on sustainability is Cuvaison Estate Wines. Established in 1969, the winery uses grapes from its Carneros and Mount Veeder estate vineyards to create wines of character and refinement. 

Their approach to winemaking ensures that sustainable practices are used from start to finish, mitigating the impact on the environment by way of a number of different practices, including solar electricity generation, environmentally-friendly soil and pest management, water conservation and ecosystem management. Cuvaison complies with the code of Sustainable Winegrowing Practices, which means compliance must be adhered to in a number of different aspects of sustainability. 

Cuvaison’s two estate vineyards are situated in ideal locations for grape growing. The Carneros Estate Vineyard is a 400 acre estate which lies in the southernmost corner of Napa Valley. The site enjoys fog and cool breezes from the San Pablo Bay, gently rolling hills and dense clay soils. The morning fog keeps the grapes from heating up too quickly, while the afternoon wind lowers leaf temperature and dries the dew left by the morning fog, making it an ideal setting for the growth of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah and Merlot.

On the southwest side of Napa Valley in the Mount Veeder appellation lies the 170 acre Brandlin Vineyard, located in the Mayacamas range. The vineyard lies on a ridgeline overlooking Napa Valley and the soil is gravelly loam over shale. The vineyard is divided into 15 sustainably-farmed blocks and vines endure the drought stress typical of exposed peaks and free-draining mountain soils which makes intense wines as a result.

“Intense is a very apt description for the Brandlin Cabernet,” Lee says. “I tried this wine earlier this year and I was highly impressed with it; it’s absolutely stunning in every way. The vineyard was founded by the Brandlin family in 1926 and then in 1998 Cuvaison purchased the property with a promise to Chester Brandlin to maintain the integrity of the estate and thus many of the vines planted in 1926 are still producing fruit. Priced at CI$60.95, it may seem a little on the expensive side but believe me it is worth every cent!”

Lee furthers: “In addition to the Brandlin Cabernet, Cuvaison produce many wines but another of my picks is an excellent Pinot Noir from a 400 acre estate in the southern part of the valley. A lively, bright Pinot with lots of strawberry nuances, hints of clove and at CI$33.99, an absolute steal.”

Jacques Scott and The Journal are giving you the chance to sample some of these amazing wines at the wineries themselves, so make sure you enter our competition in this month’s Journal!