This blog is based on the Spirits of New Mexico radio show that aired on April 10, 2021. We do on-air tasting of one or two wines to illustrate what is available in a particular wine region, or as a contrast of what influence a wine region has on a grape or blend. We use suitable glasses for the type of wine and do a double-decant of red wines to insure they have opened sufficiently for accurate judging.
Some would say the history of Napa Valley began in 1976. That was when an upstart band of passionate California winemakers announced their presence on French soil. A few weeks ago we tasted the legacy Chardonnay from Chateau Montelena and also one from its winemaker that were triumphant in a blind tasting of Napa Chardonnay against Montrachet and Meursault Burgundies.
But Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay are not the only elegant fruit available to winemakers. In fact a Bordeaux blend might also require Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec or Petit Verdot. Each of these grapes can also be varietal-based.
- Merlot is also very popular as a single varietal, only Miles of Sideways would think differently.
- Cabernet Franc, one of Cabernet Sauvignon’s parents also reaches its fullest expression in Napa
- Zinfandel has long been planted in Napa and produces some of its best expressions
- Syrah from the Rhone Valley and Petite Sirah, later identified as the French Durif also find elegant expression in Napa’s rich soil.
There are many sub-AVAs within Napa AVA (est. 1981) that uniquely define its wines. An experienced Napa wine lover can usually discern the different between a Howell Mtn. wine and one from Spring Mtn. And even in the broad valley of Napa, that these mountains enclose, there are definable differences between a St. Helena and Yountville wine.
Napa Valley:
- Napa Valley is 30 miles long and 1-5 miles wide, producing 4% of California’s wines
- Where else but Napa would Inglenook, built by Finnish sea captain Gustave Niebaum over 120 years ago, now be Coppola-Niebaum and run by a moviemaker.
- Robert Mondavi; modern day founder and supporter of Napa
- Napa Cab is a single term for the richest, most complex Cabs in the world
- Napa begins at San Pablo Bay and ends at a volcano, Mount St Helena
The first grapes were planted in the 1850s. Charge Krug is credited as a principal Napa pioneer, founding his winery in 1861. The Mondavi family revived the Krug estate in the 1940s. In between those two events were phylloxera infestations and Prohibition. It wasn’t until the late 1960s that Napa generated a lot of interest, but then in 1976 a blind tasting of Napa Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay took top honors from the best red Bordeaux and white Burgundy wines.
Sandwiched in between the western Mayacamas Mountains and the Vaca Range to the east are sixteen sub-AVAs. Five of these are mountain districts and eleven are valley districts. Starting at the south end of the valley, one enters via Highway 29, which skirts San Pablo Bay on its way north through the towns of Napa, St. Helena and Calistoga before branching out to Clear Lake going north or Healdsburg in Sonoma, going west. The dates of the various American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) are included.
Map courtesy Napa Valley Vintners
The first stop is Los Carneros (est. 1983), a wine region shared with Sonoma County and known for their rich Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines. Next is the city of Napa, one of my favorite cities in California wine country, with some of the best restaurants, wine tasting rooms and beautiful views and buildings, rivaled only by the town of Sonoma. Check out the Oxbow Public Market across the Napa River off First St. for restaurants, Deli, fish market and outdoor dining.
To the east of the city is Coombsville (est. 2011), part of which overlooks the valley from the Vaca foothills. Since most visitors shoot up 29 they miss this very charming area that produces great Cabs. To the east of it is Wild Horse Valley (est. 1988) with elevations of 600 to 1900 feet making it an upland valley. Returning to the town of Napa, one can proceed north on highway 29 or head east to the Silverado Trail, which is a more picturesque and less traveled road. On the valley floor, reading from South to North are the following:
- Oak Knoll – 2004, warmest area, wide variety of grapes
- Yountville – est. 1999, known for Cabernet Sauvignon
- Stags Leap – est. 1989, to the east of Yountville had top Cab 1976 Judgment of Paris
- Oakville – est. 1993, known for Cabernet Sauvignon
- Rutherford – est. 1993, known for Cabernet Sauvignon
- Helena – est. 1995, known for Cabernet Sauvignon
- Calistoga – est. 2009, known for Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, spas and mud baths. After seeing a man drown in a mud bath in Diamonds Are Forever (1971), I had no desire to try one.
- Chiles Valley – est. 1999 an upland valley east of Howell Mountain known for Zinfandel.
Napa Mountain districts
Some of the best Napa Cabs and Zinfandel come from the mountain districts and are priced accordingly.
- Atlas Peak – est. 1992, to the east of Stags Leap and known for Cabs and Merlot
- Spring Mountain – est. 1993, to the west above St. Helena is also known for Cabs and Merlot
- Diamond Mountain – est. 2001, north of Spring Mountain, known for Cabs
- Howell Mountain – est. 1983, a large area east of Calistoga and St. Helena also known for Cabs
- Mt. Veeder – est. 1990, west of Oak Knoll in Mayacamas Mountains does briary Cabs.
Syrah and Petite Sirah: the case of mistaken identity
Few grapes have undergone more confusion than that of Syrah and Durif, better know as Petite Sirah. In fact many early plantings were in “Black vineyards.” These were so called because many black skinned grapes were grown together in a single vineyard. These became part of a field blend; harvested and blended together. This was at a time when varietal labeling was rarely practiced. Early planting of Syrah from northern Rhone were called Hermitage, after the famous subregion in France. This was before anyone got real fussy about anyone else using their unique names.
History:
Petite Sirah (or Durif, the grape’s original name) was created by botanist Francois Durif in Montpellier, France around 1880. The grape is a cross between Syrah and the rare: Peloursin. It was imported to America by Charles McIver in the mid-1880s where it got its new name: Petite Sirah.
Do not be deceived by the name, however, as this is a big, intense wine, so dark no light passes through it. I call it my black hole wine as it seems to draw in the light. The name was related to the very small berries it produces. However, recall that small berries have a high skin to juice ratio, meaning it will become a big wine.
Unfortunately many of the plantings of Petite were identified as Syrah, often indicating its much better yields and dark structure and resistance to downy mildew. The two grapes were finally isolated by Carole Meredith at UC Davis using DNA testing. In many black vineyards she found both planted.
The power and tannins of this grape are best chosen from older vineyards when made as a single varietal. The lower acidity often works against long aging although some locations have produced stellar examples at 35 years of age. Because it never achieved popularity in France and was named Petite Sirah by an American winemaker, it along with Zinfandel are the quintessential America grapes.
What we are tasting: Biale 2014 Royal Punisher Petite Sirah 14.9% ABV $50
This wine came from my good friend, Walter Blood who is a big fan of this winery and has subsequently made me a big fan. It might not be possible to find this vintage. The 2019 is currently available as well as the 2018 Palisades Petite Sirah and also a dessert wine that I’m sure is amazing.
From the website:
Perfecting the old California classics, Robert Biale Vineyards has become a revered standard of heritage vineyard Zinfandel and Petite Sirah in Napa Valley. From the wineries’ inception, the Biale Founders have cherished the tradition of historic old vines (some dating to the 1880s!) and prize the small quantity of concentrated and intense fruit that they produce. Diligent farming, expressive terroir, and superb elegance are the winery’s hallmarks. Among the winery’s portfolio of 20 wines that are crafted by Winemaker Tres Goetting, Black Chicken Zinfandel is the flagship–and has become a benchmark for the varietal.
It all started in the 1940s when 14-year-old Aldo Biale helped his mother make ends meet by selling to insider Napans–along with eggs and produce–some of the family’s homemade Zinfandel. Over the old “party line” phone system, the code words “a Black Chicken” signified a jug of bootleg wine…and kept nosy neighbors and the authorities from finding out about Aldo’s underground Zinfandel operation!
Tasting notes: Smoothly floral and elegantly built, with structure and weight, this wine is rich in red, blue and black berry, fully in grasp of a spectrum of flavors. Hints of leather, meaty game, fig and white pepper give it additional complexity and intensity. Let it lie and enjoy best from 2024 through 2034. Virginie Boone
Zinfandel Origins
DNA testing is not just devoted to human DNA as many things benefit from DNA analysis including plants. In many cases the only way to know conclusively a plants origin is via DNA testing. Such was the case with Zinfandel, which in the late 1990s was able to identify Croatia as the origin of both Zinfandel and Primitivo, an Italian grape. Further refinements followed until the 2012 book Wine Grapes that lists 1,368 varieties included an entry detailing the search for Zinfandel’s origins. After years of research and DNA testing a single 90-year-old grape vine from the garden of an elderly lady in Split, Croatia, provided the evidence to show that Zinfandel was a Croatian grape that has been known as Tribidrag since at least the 15th century.
Cutting of Zinfandel were brought to California during the 1850 Gold Rush and were soon making fine wines. It’s possible J. W. Osborne made the first wine from Zinfandel in California. He planted Zinfandel at his Oak Knoll vineyard just north of Napa, and his wine was much praised in 1857. Planting of Zinfandel boomed soon after, and by the end of the 19th century it was the most widespread variety in California.
Prohibition all but killed Zinfandel and many vines were ripped out. The grape was subject to rot when transported long distances and was replaced with Alicante Bouschet for the home wine market. In 1972 Bob Trinchero used the saignee technique to remove some of the first run juice to intensify his Deaver vineyard Zinfandel. The dry, white juice was made into a Rose-style wine but generated little interest. That is until a stuck fermentation in 1975 produced a sweet runoff juice, which caught on and white Zinfandel now sells at six times the rate of red Zinfandel.
- Napa Valley AVA produces Zinfandel wines described as plum-like and intense, tasting of red berry fruits with cedar and vanilla. Zinfandel in Napa tends to be made in a claret style like red Bordeaux. Mike Grgich, a Croatian, helped popularize this style. The Napa mountain subregions are generally more complex.
“ And let’s just say it: Zinfandel provides more smiles per bottle than any other red wine! Period.” – Dave Pramuk
What we are tasting: Frank Family Zinfandel 2018 14.8% ABV, $38
I was invited to a special tasting of Frank Family wines many years ago and was surprised that they didn’t charge for wine tasting then. Until I had bought a case and a half of their excellent wines and understood why.
From the website:
Housed in Napa Valley’s historic Larkmead Winery, we hand craft wines that live up to the heritage of the land. A limited number of our reserve and sparkling wines are only available at Frank Family Vineyards winery, and on select restaurant wine lists. Our three collections are a diverse set, spanning sparkling to port and everything between. We hope to welcome you here for a tasting soon.
Winemaker notes: Our Napa Valley collection sources grapes from our four vineyards, and some from our favorite neighbors, including Beckstoffer, Red Barn, Quarry, and Sangiacomo. Our Napa Valley Cabernet, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir are all aged in French oak barrels, with one-third in new barrels, one-third in once-used barrels, and one-third in twice-used barrels, for balance.
- Frank Family has three set of collections: The Napa Valley, Reserve and Bubbles.
Wine Advocate: Delivers compelling notes of stewed red and black plums, fruitcake and raspberry pie with touches of Chinese five spice and potpourri. Full-bodied, the palate has loads of decadently spicy red and black fruit layers, framed by chewy tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing on a lingering peppery note.”
Analysis
Both of these wines were fantastic. In fact, knowing the reputation of both wineries I was not surprised. Eddy was instantly in love with the Biale Petite Sirah; it is that kind of wine. The Zinfandel was an excellent complement as both are big, rich wines that invite you to literally dive into them. They both have very high HDI values as well. (That’s Hammond Drinkability Index, by the way.)
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