The 2024 growing season in Napa Valley has been described as fast and furious. Throughout the valley cabernet and chardonnay grapes were ready for harvest at about the same time. Mountain fruit and valley floor fruit similarly needed to be picked and processed all at once. It was a condensed, busy, beautiful harvest season. A wet spring and cool start to the growing season gave way to very high temperatures in June and July. This heat wave had us continually walking the rows of the vineyard to make sure that the vine canopy was protecting the fruit from sunburn and raisining. We spent many hours chewing skin and spitting seeds, waiting for the right time to harvest.
We had been eager to add a complimentary vineyard to our portfolio. We thought it would be interesting, and creatively challenging to work with fruit from a different AVA and elevation. However, we had strict criteria for selecting a vineyard. We needed to find partners that cared as much about farming as we did, and had a strong history of making premier wines from the vineyard. Never did we think that we would be lucky enough to work with the amazingly talented people at Larkmead in Calistoga.
Our valley floor block is on Larkmead Lane and Highway 29; only about 10 minutes from our home in St. Helena. These vines are typically part of the reserve program at Larkmead and are very special. The vines run north-south and are protected most mornings by the dense fog that hangs over the Calistoga valley floor. But once that fog lifts, the sun really hits the vines with intense heat and sunshine. It’s this uniquely complex blend of weather and alluvial soil that allow the fruit to develop into some of the best in Napa Valley.
We found the fruit very fun to work with during primary fermentation. The fruit was calm, sophisticated, and confident. We comfortably and effortlessly pulled out tannins, allowing us to make some interesting stylistic choices. There was plenty of anthocyanin in the grapes which gave us a wine with beautiful color and hues. This wine is approachable yet involved, fruit forward, refined, bright, and silky, with a wonderful mouthfeel.
Aged for 22 months in 70% new French oak barrels from Bordeaux, the wine has wonderful structure and complexity. The lovely inky purple color in the glass shows the richness and depth of the wine and it will only get better if your cellar it for a few years.
