Winemaker Randy Ullom says Kendall-Jackson's Hawkeye Mountain Estate, perched at heights of up to 2,400 feet, provides him with grapes that possess "deep cherry and cassis flavors with concentrated mineral and earth tones indicative of the mountain soil and climate."
Photo: GEORGE ROSE
Moving Up the MayacamasGrowing Mountain Cabernetsof Stature and DistinctionBy Steve PitcherA certain mystique shrouds these lofty sites: Why are wines made from mountain-grown grapes so intense, flavorful and distinctive? The experts offer a variety of theories. Some think the soil is the main reason for the distinguishing attributes of the grapes. Others say it's the elevation, which exposes the vines and grapes to the atmosphere in ways that better promote ripening, flavor intensity and balance. High enough up the mountain, increased levels of ultraviolet light exposure come into play which, some growers argue, increase the level of phenolics in the grapes (and therefore color) in the resulting red wines.
While enologists may debate infinite variations on these themes, the distinctions all come down to terroir - that total interaction of climate, soil and exposure that make up a specific site.
Despite the intangibles, more is known about mountain vineyards than that which remains unanswered: The soils are typically thinner, more acidic (as a consequence of higher rainfall) and shallower, resulting in a self-limiting environment that naturally moderates yield. Spring comes later, and the afternoons are cooler. The sun shines longer and with greater intensity. All of these factors combine to help produce a concentrated wine of distinctive character. But the "specialness" of mountain grapes remains impossible to distill down to a single explanation.
Except maybe "excelsior." Not the packing material, of course, but the other definition of this Latin word meaning "ever upward," or "lofty heights." Such elevations - whether a steep mountain slope; a high, flat plateau; or a curving, contoured ridgetop - yield grapes, and hence wines, perceptively different from those grown in valley-floor vineyards. Tasted side by side, an Oakville-designated Cabernet and a Spring Mountain Cabernet from the same vintage, for example, will exhibit differences in weight, scale, intensity and texture, while displaying similar varietal flavors.
No one knows for certain who first planted grapevines in a mountain location in California, but evidence strongly points to Jacob Schram. An official state historical landmark plaque (No. 561) near the entrance to a man-made cave in the western hills just south of the town of Calistoga proclaims that Schram founded his winery here in 1862, and that Schramsberg "was the first hillside winery of the Napa Valley." (Significantly, "berg" is German for hill or mountain.)
Schram, a barber by trade, had emigrated from Germany's Rheinhessen region where the best wine usually comes from the steepest slopes. When he arrived in the Napa Valley with his wife, Annie, in the early 1860s, they purchased, for what he always thereafter called "a trifle," a large tract of virgin land on the slopes of Diamond Mountain, between 450 and 950 feet in elevation. Schram, who had grown up in a winemaking family, burned off the native chaparral and scrub oak, and planted mission grapes in their place. As he expanded his acreage and production, more plantings of better varieties, such as riesling, palomino and zinfandel, followed.
Scottish author and wine lover Robert Louis Stevenson visited Schramsberg in 1880 and memorialized his pleasant experience in a chapter of his 1883 book, Silverado Squatters. Stevenson wrote: "Napa Valley has long been a seat of the winegrowing industry. It did not begin here, as it does too often, in the low valley lands along the river; but took at once to the rough foothills, where alone it can expect to prosper. A basking inclination, and stones, to be a reservoir of the day's heat, seem necessary to the soil for wine; the grossness of the earth must be evaporated, its marrow daily melted and refined for the ages; until at length these clods that break below our footing, and to the eye appear but common earth, are truly and to the perceiving mind, a masterpiece of nature."
Schramsberg is situated on the eastern slopes - or the Napa side - of the Mayacamas Mountains, the formidable bulwark that separates Napa and Sonoma counties and North Coast wine country's most significant range. Rising along a roughly northwest/southeast path, the northern reaches of the Mayacamas penetrate Mendocino County east of Ukiah, and angle southeastward to Carneros, almost to the upper shores of San Francisco Bay. The Vaca Range, which runs along the eastern side of the Napa Valley, eventually turns west just north of Calistoga and merges with the Mayacamas. Magnificent Mount St. Helena crowns this convergence.
Stevenson frequented the Sonoma side of the Mayacamas as well, exploring the western slopes' canyons and rugged terrain, even spending his honeymoon in a cabin on an outcropping he named Sugerloaf Hill, a promontory midway down the side of the mountain with a spectacular vista of Sonoma Valley and the Coastal Mountains beyond. (Robert Louis Stevenson Memorial State Park, which straddles the Napa-Sonoma county
line at the ridge top, with Mount St. Helena at its center, commemorates his explorations.)
The Mayacamas are home to dozens of vineyards in both Napa and Sonoma counties. While there are presently no AVAs carved into the Mayacamas on the Sonoma side (the Sonoma Mountain AVA is not within the mountain range), three of Napa's five mountain appellations - Mt. Veeder, Spring Mountain District and Diamond Mountain District - are located on the slopes of the Mayacamas extending to the ridge top (the other two, Howell Mountain and Atlas Peak, are in the Vaca Mountains on the other side of the valley, above the Silverado Trail).
While there really is a Diamond Mountain (most of the mountain and its peak are in Sonoma County), and an actual peak called Mount Veeder (an extinct volcano) in the southern Mayacamas, historically, the name "Spring Mountain" has been used in a regional context and does not refer to the name of an actual peak. Rather, the district has numerous springs, and is drained by several small streams. Hence the phrase "on Spring Mountain" is used by locals for the sake of convenience.
Wine merchant Jerry Draper, whose family owned the prized, 135-acre Draper Vineyard on Spring Mountain (sited between 450 and 1,650 feet) for more than 50 years until it was sold to Spring Mountain Winery in 1996, once offered a succinct explanation of what distinguishes mountain vineyards and their wines in this part of California: "First, there is the great cost of developing and maintaining mountain vineyards; it is labor intensive and costs more to produce mountain-grown grapes than valley-floor fruit," Draper noted. "Another distinguishing point is the austere, coarse and complex rocky soils, often volcanic, that dominate the best mountain vineyards. These sites have excellent drainage and are, for the most part, dry farmed, with vines that are stressed to the maximum and therefore have to search deep for nutrients. Longer, more balanced growing days are due to the morning sun and lack of fog that blankets the valley floor, while cool afternoon breezes moderate the hot afternoon sun. All these factors, combined with extremely low yields, result in smaller berries and more balanced, complex and concentrated fruit."
While there is no official definition of a "mountain vineyard," the federally approved mountain appellations within the Mayacamas Range all conform to relatively tight elevation requirements: Mt. Veeder, Spring Mountain District and Diamond Mountain District all begin at the 400-foot contour line and extend to the Napa-Sonoma county line, which runs along the ridge top of the range -
at 2,200 feet in the case of Diamond Mountain and 2,600 feet above sea level for the other two.
It's important to note that while a vineyard may be located on a mountain or within an AVA with "mountain" in its name, it may not necessarily display all the characteristics that distinguish its wines from those grown closer to the valley floor. For the purpose of this article, the loftiest Mayacamas cabernet vineyards will be explored - those situated at a minimum elevation of 1,000 feet.
The essential line of demarcation for such a vineyard is the fog line - technically an inversion layer, the elevation above which fog does not rise and is of little or no viticultural consequence during the growing season. In the Mayacamas, that point is roughly 900 to 1,000 feet.
For growers at lower elevations, the great fog banks that form overnight in the summer months along the North Coast (as air over deep, cold water is moved by prevailing winds to shallower, warmer waters along the San Francisco, Marin, Sonoma and Mendocino coastlines) are key to countering the baking effects of summer's often hot temperatures. The morning fog doesn't ordinarily proceed directly eastward from the ocean over the ridge tops of the mountain ranges, especially the high Mayacamas, but rather through gaps in the hills where the low-altitude, moist air mass can spread fairly unimpeded. So, fog doesn't wash down from the mountains into the valleys below, but rather squeezes into the valleys at low altitudes from various directions, rising up the hillsides only as high as atmospheric and temperature conditions permit.
Bob Foley, who makes the wines at Pride Mountain Vineyards which is set atop the Spring Mountain District where Napa County and Sonoma County meet, observes, "Our vineyards, at 2,100 feet, are above the morning fog that often blankets the Sonoma and Napa valleys. Some days, I can stand here and see a vast ocean of fog completely covering Napa Valley, with the ridge tops on this mountain and Diamond Mountain just to the north of us - plus Howell Mountain on the other side of the valley - poking through like islands. That means these vineyards enjoy both morning and afternoon sun, and thus a longer growing day than vineyards down in the valley."
In addition to the benefit of more sunlight hours, mountain sites above the fog line also enjoy increased solar radiation. As a result, the fruit ripens slowly and uniformly and, in general, the mature berries retain notably high levels of acidity.
Foley also notes that from May to September, his mountain is, on average, eight to ten degrees cooler during the daytime than the valley floor, a scenario enjoyed by most high-elevation winegrowers. This advantage is due to a significant temperature inversion, which in essence means warmer nights and cooler days than experienced on the valley floor. The inversion occurs because the warm air of the valley floor rises in the afternoon and evening, benefiting the mountains. The basic rule is, the higher the site, the cooler the daytime summer temperature. Bill Vyenielo, general manager of Peter Michael Winery in Knights Valley (Sonoma County), confirms, "Every 1,000 feet up in elevation the temperature cools by five to ten degrees."
"Cold air runs down the mountain, much like water drains downhill," Foley says, adding that this is what makes mountain vineyards less prone to frost than those on the valley floor. "Cold air can drain away freely at night, flowing down the mountainside."
Foley's neighbor, Hal Barnett, proprietor of Barnett Vineyards, has plantings near the top of Spring Mountain, well above the fog that blankets the valley floor. He cites yet another advantage associated with mountain winegrowing: "Due to the inversion layer, this unique microclimate influences the mountain vineyard by allowing up to three more hours of sunlight per day," Barnett notes. "This additional sunlight is a critical element as to why our fruit achieves more consistent ripening and flavor development vintage to vintage. During the afternoon, breezes come in from the Pacific that create a desirable cooling influence on the vines and benefit the fruit development even more." Because of this circulating late afternoon air, mountain growers on the eastern slopes also have fewer concerns about mildew, rot and mold. Yet, "It's not as windy up here as one might expect," Foley observes. "Usually, we get strong breezes and some windy days in the late fall and winter, but in summer, it's rather still."
On the more exposed western side of the Mayacamas, however, conditions are quite different. Jeff Hinchliffe, who has been in charge of winemaking at Sonoma County's Hanna Winery since 1998, says farming the rugged Hanna Bismark Mountain Ranch (a spectacular, 67-acre vineyard sited from 1,400 to 2,600 feet, and named after a nearby promontory called Bismark Knob) presents multiple challenges. "The winds from the west during the afternoon here can be fierce, so much so that we usually are restricted to one cluster per shoot," he explains one blustery April afternoon. "Mildew's also a headache," he notes, "as are the common vertebrate pests, gophers, rabbits and deer."
Yet for all this wind (and probably the reason for clearing the sky of clouds and haze), the view from Bismark Mountain Ranch, the highest-elevation vineyard in the Mayacamas, is absolutely awesome. Dramatically visible to the southwest are the twin towers of the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco city skyline, more than 35 miles distant as the crow flies.
To enjoy such a view, one must endure a 35-minute trip up Cavedale Road - a collection of potholes held together with a modicum of asphalt and gravel - from the Sonoma Valley floor. Even in a sturdy, four-wheel-drive the journey is the most bone-jarring trip I've ever made to reach a vineyard. Coming back down the mountain on slightly less potholed Trinity Road, it became obvious which route is preferred for transporting grapes from the vineyard to the winery.
Accessibility was a logistical challenge when plotting out Bismark Mountain Ranch, and it is a factor that adds extra expense to the end product because planting such mountain aeries is far more costly than developing valley-floor sites. "Putting in rows wasn't simply a matter of clearing brush and trees and planting vines," explains Christine Hanna, the winery's general manager. "The rows had to be engineered and carefully laid out because of the various surface configurations and exposures. We also had to address erosion concerns, even though there is precious little topsoil. All told, we spent about $100,000 per acre at Bismark Mountain Ranch, about three times what it would cost to plant on the valley floor."
Bismark Mountain Ranch was planted from scratch, carved into hillsides composed mostly of igneous rock - white rhyolitic tuff and gravelly loam - spewed out of Mt. Veeder when it was an active volcano eons ago. The vineyard terraces were created using lots of dynamite. Cabernet is the lead variety here, planted on 23 of 67 blocks, all vertically trellised. Loose clusters of tiny berries hang fully exposed to sunlight beneath a small canopy of leaves, which results in superbly concentrated flavors and muscular tannins.
Planting the mountain vineyards at Peter Michael Winery, which extend up to 2,000 feet above sea level on the western face of Mount St. Helena (the highest peak in the Mayacamas at 4,343 feet) above Knights Valley, was also a formidable undertaking. The winery's collection of lofty estate vineyards, sited on steep, volcanic, mountain slopes, is breathtakingly impressive. Indeed, standing amid the chardonnay vines in Belle Côte, the winery's newest and highest vineyard, and gazing down on the 23-acre Les Pavots Vineyard (at 1,500 feet), named for the poppies that abound in this magical setting and planted to Bordeaux varieties, you could experience vertigo by looking down the precarious drop-offs, some at angles over 40 degrees.
"The vine rows are oriented toward the morning sun, maximizing light and gentle warmth," Vyenielo explains as we drive up through meticulously farmed blocks in the requisite four-wheel-drive vehicle. "The constant breezes from the Pacific [which funnel through a gap in the coastal ranges] cool the vineyards, which slows and extends the fruit-ripening process." But this sea breeze is not a given. "Occasionally, we get some incredible, hot, dry, Santa Ana-like winds from the east," he notes. "These can tear through some of the more exposed blocks at up to 60 miles per hour, and would cause significant damage to leaves and fruit without the protection of porous, plastic sheeting that we can drape over the vines very quickly."
The Wappo Indians, who long farmed this area and no doubt dealt with similar fierce winds, called the mountain "Kana'mota," or Human Mountain. Yet there is some question as to whether Mount St. Helena, which rises above Peter Michael Winery like a grand sentinel, is more than a mountain. Some speculate that it was once a volcano. Vyenielo has done some digging on the subject. "Despite its relative youth and volcanic rock, Mount St. Helena is not a volcano," he asserts. "Geologists believe that a widespread system of fissures and vents laid down heavy layers of volcanic materials (topped by St. Helena rhyolite), and later faulting raised the mountain."
Between Peter Michael in Knights Valley and Bismark Mountain Ranch in the heights to the east of Fetters Hot Springs, Fisher Vineyards perches some 1,400 feet above the city of Santa Rosa. The estate is fairly well protected from the effects of wind, but is susceptible to another airborne predicament. "Birds are the big problem here," notes proprietor Fred Fisher. "I suspect we're on some kind of flyway because we're often besieged by linnets." Huge flocks of these small, finch-like birds could surely wipe out the crop so they have to net all the vines. "It's ironic to consider that somebody thought he was being helpful when he introduced these English birds into New York's Central Park years ago to increase the songbird population," Fisher observes.
Fisher and his wife, Juelle, live close to the land surrounded by vineyards. Attuned to the needs of the vines and to the current thinking about viticulture, Fisher enlisted acclaimed vineyard management consultant David Abreu to begin a new era for his mountain vines. Following the 2001 harvest, Abreu ripped out the old vines in a major part of Fisher's crown jewel Wedding Vineyard, dug deep into the rugged mountainside, aerated the soil and added compost amendments to encourage microbial life. "Only two acres of the original 7.5 acres planted to cabernet were retained to give continuity and budwood," Fisher explains. "In place of the original 3,400 vines, David planted 18,000 densely spaced vines on low-vigor rootstock to encourage the vines to produce smaller, highly concentrated berries." The new vineyard was also reoriented to run northeast to southwest for maximum sun exposure. It's expected to come back into production in 2005.
In contrast to the more uniform valley floor plantings, most of the vineyards in the high Mayacamas are made up of blocks that have various exposures, with rows planted at all the opposing points on the compass to maximize the benefits of the particular location. After another four-wheel-drive expedition, this time scaling the upper foothills of the Mayacamas near the convergence of the Alexander Valley, Knights Valley and Chalk Hill appellations, most of Ferrari-Carano's Anderson Ranch (also known as the Vineyards of TreMonte) - 61 separate blocks at 1,300 feet - come into view.
There is no uniformity whatsoever with multiple customized exposures and with various types of trellising installed on a block-by-block basis. "This vineyard is extremely difficult to farm," emphasizes director of vineyard operations Steve Domenichelli, an energetic, 39-year-old, fourth-generation farmer who also directs vineyard operations for Ferrari-Carano's valley-floor and hillside vineyards in Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley, Russian River and Carneros. "It takes twice as long to do the same tasks in the hills as on flat land," he says, noting that here at the top of the property is where cabernet does best. "During harvest, multiple passes through the blocks are necessary to obtain fruit at optimum maturity," he says.
Understandably, the difficulties involved in planting and farming these mountain sites are reflected in the bottle price. Although Ferrari-Carano makes an impressive mountain Cabernet that retails for a reasonable $28, the competition generally commands between $40 and $100 per bottle for the same mountain-grown varietal.
In addition to cabernet, the 220 acres of Anderson Ranch are planted to syrah, merlot, malbec, petit verdot, cab franc, sangiovese and chardonnay. Each block is vinified separately. Plant density ranges from 760 vines per acre in the benchland blocks around 900 feet, to 500 to 550 vines per acre at the mountaintop elevation, a reflection of the lower vigor of the soil here. "Out of 61 blocks, I'd say 18 to 20 are great for cabernet sauvignon, and three of those are super premium," he confides.
While Anderson Ranch and Bismark Mountain Ranch, like most other sites in the high Mayacamas, aren't "open" except by appointment, Pride Mountain's 80-acre vineyard at historic Summit Ranch is accessible to those who visit the tasting room. A stroll through the vineyard illustrates many features that distinguish mountain from valley floor vineyards, soils in particular. Gazing down the slope at the 27 distinct blocks - unfolding in a familiar patchwork quilt pattern over the top of Spring Mountain - winemaker Bob Foley, a deceptively youthful 49, observes that, "All of this was once ocean bottom, which long ago got up here through the process of plate tectonics" -- the movement of a vast slab of the earth's crust, called the Pacific Plate. This plate slowly shifted eastward beneath the
North American Plate over millions of years. The downward-driving movement pushed the other plate's crust upward, resulting in undersea rock masses that emerged on the surface in a process
that created the region that was to become the
Napa Valley.
"These are mountaintop soils, not hillside soils," Foley continues, "and each block contains 15 to 40 percent stones and gravel that allow for excellent drainage. Overall, the soils are volcanic and sandstone mixed with clay and loam. The primary soil series here are the Aiken stony loam, which is a reddish-colored, iron-rich and nutritionally weak soil that evolved from the former ocean bottom, and the yellow volcanic tuff, which drains almost as quickly as sand. More importantly, the depths of these soils vary across the estate. The higher vineyard blocks have leaner soils, are more weathered and receive more sun exposure. These blocks are best suited to later-ripening varieties like cabernet sauvignon, cab franc and petit verdot."
The soils - such as the Aiken and Forward series, as well as other thin and infertile series found chiefly in mountain vineyards - stress the vines to the degree that both berries and clusters are small, and for cabernet and most other red varieties, that translates into thick skins, concentrated flavors and substantial tannins. As for the deficiency of dirt, Foley makes the same comment that mountain vintners have always made: that so-and-so down at the bottom of the mountain has all his topsoil. "It's been washing downhill for years, but I'm not inclined to ask him to truck it back up here," he wryly notes.
One vineyard block at Pride is particularly interesting, both for what it contains and its view. Just beyond the parking area, the aptly named Quartz Hill forms a knoll that marks the highest point in the vineyard. The block features quick-draining Quartz Hill series soil, which Foley says is relatively unusual for the Mayacamas Range. From the knoll's vantage point, one can observe a seam of the brightly sparkling, quartz-rich soil extending down the hill slope for some distance, contrasting with reddish and brownish seams, until it disappears in the direction of Diamond Mountain, visible in the distance. "This is the same soil series that is so prevalent on Diamond Mountain that it gave that appellation its name," Foley points out.
The French have long asserted - and most California vintners now tend to agree - that the most distinctive characteristics of their wines are those derived from the vineyard (as opposed to the cellar): the typically earthy, mineral, dusty aromatics and flavors that they trace directly to the unique rocky soils found in their best vineyard sites. While scientific proof of a specific connection between soil and taste characteristics remains elusive, it seems undeniable that the ground into which mountain vineyards sink their hardworking roots - whether on the steep slopes of the hills bracketing the Mosel Valley in Germany, Portugal's Alto Douro or France's Rhône Valley, among other places - plays a pivotal role in determining the special taste of the the wine. Taken together with climate factors, it is ultimately terroir that leaves its mark.
For purposes of vineyard management, not only does terroir include every aspect of the vine's natural environment, the team at Ferrari-Carano includes irrigation and nutrient regimes, trellis systems and canopy management, rootstock and clone combinations, pruning technique and cane selection as part of the equation. "Even within one vineyard parcel, there may be several different types of soil with different degrees of nutrients for vines and water-holding capacity," Domenichelli explains. "That's the case in Anderson Ranch. To treat such a site with a single farming practice would be to misuse the properties of the vines."
In the years following their 1980 purchase of a 60-acre parcel in Alexander Valley, Don and Rhonda Carano, with guidance from Barney Fernandez (then the winery's director of vineyard development) sought out premium vineyard properties throughout Sonoma County to ensure the supply of grapes for their Dry Creek Valley-based winery. "Don and Barney spent many years experimenting and searching for the best soils [in which] to grow red grapes," Domenichelli recounts. "They gradually narrowed their focus to hillside and mountaintop locations, where soils are less fertile, shallower and rockier than the valley floors and benchlands."
In 1989, they found a mountainside property between 900 and 1,300 feet that met their rigid requirements. "Anderson Ranch was mostly used
for grazing and pasturing cattle at that time, but the soil analysis showed it was excellent for growing superior wine grapes," Domenichelli continues. The soils were rocky, low in vigor and well drained - a perfect combination for growing vines with small berries, low crop yield and richness and intensity of fruit flavors. "More than 200 experimental wines were made before a final combination of variety, rootstock and clone was planted," he recalls.
Climatic factors resemble those on the Napa side of the Mayacamas, with warm days that are still cooler than the valley floor. Marine influences from the Pacific Ocean enter through the gap created by the Russian River and create an overall moderation of temperatures that Domenichelli says is ideal for slow, steady maturation of the grapes.
One mountain is not enough for Don Carano, whose Nevada gaming fortune launched Ferrari-Carano in 1981. Ten miles north of the Anderson Ranch, even higher up in the Mayacamas, the Caranos have developed another mountain vineyard on the slopes of Alexander Mountain between 800 and 1,300 feet in elevation. They haven't settled on a name for the new brand yet, but all of the necessary components are in place: Some 400 acres are planted primarily to the same red varieties planted at Anderson Ranch, caves were completed last summer and a high-tech, gravity-flow winery is nearing completion.
Aaron Piotter has been hired to head the Caranos' new estate; he'll have the luxury of being assisted by consulting enologist Philippe Melka and guided by Ferrari-Carano head winemaker George Bursick. The property's fruit will be shared between Ferrari-Carano and the soon-to-be-named brand.
Even more prolific in the mountain hunt is Jess Jackson, who has strung together a virtual strand of high-altitude vineyard pearls across Northern California. Although he is officially retired, the 74-year-old founder of Kendall-Jackson remains one of the country's most powerful and visionary vintners.
In 1995, he purchased the sprawling 6,500-acre Gauer Ranch on Alexander Mountain in two separate parcels - one for $4.6 million, the other for $5.5 million -- and changed its name to the John Alexander Mountain Estate, after his grandfather.
At its highest point, 2,400 feet above sea level, the Hawkeye Mountain Estate portion of AME (as the vast estate is often abbreviated) is currently the second highest elevation vineyard in the Mayacamas, after Bismark Mountain Ranch
(2,600 feet).
Following a 20-minute ride up Geysers Road from the Alexander Valley floor, aiming toward the 3,128-foot-high peak of Black Mountain, we arrive at Hawkeye Overlook, a clearing near the top of the property furnished with a simple wood picnic table. From this 2,240-foot vantage point, the vista is magnificent. Myriad peaks and valleys - including Knights Valley, Mount St. Helena, Sonoma Mountain, Taylor Peak, the entire Sonoma Coastal Range and the Russian River, Dry Creek and Alexander valleys - rise and fall away in the distance. On this brilliantly clear April afternoon, even the Mt. Veeder peak, some 40 miles to the south in Napa County, and some of the ridgetops in the Mendocino Ridge appellation well to the north can be seen.
Jackson considers this site one of the jewels in his collection of high-elevation properties that are the backbone of K-J's new Highlands Estates series of premium wines debuting this year and next. "We know that grapes proliferate throughout the world on the edge of deserts, near thick-wooded forests and in warm, flat valley floors," Jackson says. "Yet nowhere do grapes excel to their highest forms of flavor than on mountain slopes, ridges, hillsides
and benchlands in close proximity to a cooling
ocean breeze."
Over the past 20 years, Jackson and his family have acquired some of the most desirable vineyard parcels available in the coastal regions of Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino, Monterey and Santa Barbara counties. "In fact, nearly 80 percent of the more than 12,000 acres of Kendall-Jackson family-owned estate vineyards are located on mountains, ridges, hillsides and benches," Jackson declares. From farming these vineyards over several years, some self-evident truths have been reconfirmed, including the first and foremost: "The smaller the grape, the more intense the flavor."
"To understand how special these estate vineyards are, you have to understand that in all the wine regions of California, less than 15 percent of the grapes are grown in the cool coastal regions," Jackson explains. "Even more startling is the fact that less than three percent of all the grapes grown in this state have a mountain, hillside, ridge or bench pedigree." This high-quality fruit has been the basis of K-J's well-regarded, vineyard-designated "Great Estates" bottlings. Jackson says the new Highlands Estates wines "are the evolution of our Great Estates wine tier."
In addition to Hawkeye, Jackson has several other vineyards planted primarily to cabernet sauvignon in the high Mayacamas, including the other portions of AME, Knights Ridge (extending to 1,000 feet above Knights Valley) and Napa Mountain Estate, the latter consisting of vineyards between 1,200 and 2,400 feet high on Mount Veeder and Howell Mountain. He has filed with TTB for appellation status for Alexander Mountain, starting at the 400-foot contour line and running to the top at 2,400 feet, and also has plans to file an AVA petition for the portion of Mount St. Helena that resides in Sonoma County.
Spread out below the outlook like a giant, jumbled checkerboard, almost all of Hawkeye's 250 acres, planted to every kind of exposure imaginable, can be viewed. "Most of Hawkeye Estate is planted to cabernet sauvignon, on steep, well-drained southwestern-facing slopes on a mix of five different soil types - much of it volcanic red ash mixed with loam," Jackson notes.
"Most of the blocks are vinified separately except for some very small parcels that yield less than one ton or so of grapes. The grapes have deep cherry and cassis flavors with concentrated mineral and earth tones, indicative of the mountain soil and climate," explains K-J wine master Randy Ullom.
The remnants of old apple, fig and plum orchards are found throughout AME, which was settled in the mid-1800s. Jackson and his wife, Barbara Banke, live on the property today, and have the company of wildlife, including mountain lions, black bears and wild boars, along with 200 head of Black Angus cattle and a stableful of Jackson's horses.
The mountain-grown Cabernets Jackson and Ullom are turning out are elegantly wrought compared to their predecessors from the 1960s, '70s and early '80s, most of which epitomized the rough-hewn California style. Those rustic, muscular, tannic red wines generally demanded a decade or more of cellaring to exhibit even a modicum of balance. Many never came around because over time, the tannins simply outlasted the fruit. Like K-J's, the great majority of Mayacamas Range Cabernets are balanced in their youth, exhibiting intensity and individuality, coupled with smoother tannins and elegance.
Near the top of Mt. Veeder on the Napa side, Bob Travers crafts a mountain Cabernet at historic Mayacamas Vineyards that generates a fair amount of controversy. The rustic, rough-hewn stone winery perches on the edge of a dormant volcano crater. Its 52 acres of estate vineyards range in elevation from 1,800 to 2,400 feet and are planted in the crater and on mountain slopes. The resulting wine epitomizes the bold, chewy style reminiscent of an earlier era. Some connoisseurs rate them as "First Growths," while others find them overpowering and tannic.
Travers, who has owned the winery since 1968, takes the cheers in stride and shrugs off the criticisms. "I don't deny it. I like best wines that take time to achieve maturity. If my Cabernet didn't start out a little bit tart and tannic, I'd be worried," he says. "You need acidity and tannin to get the wine through to maturity. These mountain soils produce small crops of very intensely flavored fruit," Travers continues. "As a result, the wines take longer than average to mature, develop unique character when fully aged and live much longer than most other Cabernets." Significantly, Mayacamas Vineyards Cabernets are held back from release longer than most others, five years from vintage - the current release is from the 1998 vintage; the 1999 will be out this fall.
"Depending on the vintage, the Cabernet can reach maturity in 12 to 15 years," Travers explains. "Some need 18 to 25 years to be at their best." Sounds an awful lot like a regimen for Bordeaux First Growths. "They're a benchmark to shoot for with Cabernet," he insists. "We ask our customers to be patient. They'll be rewarded in the end."
Luc Morlet, who makes the wine for Peter Michael Winery, remembers well the two rules about mountain wines he learned from renowned "flying winemaker" Michel Rolland while both were employed in different capacities at Newton Vineyard in St. Helena: "For terroir - your real estate - there are three words: location, location, location. For manageable tannins, there are also three words: attends, attends, attends. That's patience, patience, patience," he emphasizes. "You have to wait for the full physiological maturity of the fruit, and that comes later in the mountains - harvest here typically starts three to four weeks later than in the valleys. In Les Pavots Vineyard, full physiological maturity is especially important because only at that point have the tannins shed their harsh edge. That requires patience in the vineyard."
Waiting for late-ripening cabernet to achieve full physiological maturity may seem risky because rain is possible in the greater North Coast region beginning in October, and becomes more likely as autumn progresses. Yet it doesn't seem to faze Pride's Bob Foley or his mountaineering colleagues. "Cabernet sauvignon is a thick-skinned grape, so rain doesn't do it much harm. It's a myth that grapes absorb rainwater and become diluted. Rain annoys me mainly because it causes mud and delays ripening."
In addition to patience, winemaking techniques also help in taming tannins. At Peter Michael, for instance, Morlet racks his mountain reds, especially Cabernet, more often than he would valley floor wines. "This brings more air to the tannins, but the wine must not be thin in the first place," he explains. "I generally rack the wines every three months. If it's a super-round vintage, like 2002, I'll rack once a month; if the tannins are firmer, then every two to three months. The racking of our red wines is carried out by simple gravity, moving the wine from one barrel to another, and through the esquive, or side hole. This gentle technique, without the use of any pumping, guarantees that the wine will keep its integral quality."
And quality is what you find in abundance in the Cabernets of the high Mayacamas. These vines must struggle to grow; they are less vigorous than vineyards on the valley floor and their leaf canopies are less dense. Each vine produces fewer grapes, but puts more of its energy into its fruit. The lighter canopy exposes the smaller, more intense berries to the mountain's bright sunshine and cool nighttime air, which enables the fruit to ripen more slowly and further concentrates flavors. Additionally, because they are smaller, the grapes have a higher ratio of skin to juice. And because the skin holds color and extractable tannins, the integration of skins and juice creates a special chemistry. For example, mountain grapes typically have a higher ratio of tartaric acid to malic acid than valley fruit, yielding more desirable fruit aromas, texture and intensity. They also tend to have lower pH levels and higher acidity along with ideal sugar levels; this combination offers a wine natural protection as it ages, providing a structure that allows the winemaker to reveal the wine over time in a more complex format.
A great bottle of Cabernet made from mountain grapes therefore has both longevity and multidimensional qualities that can include the interplay of earthy, mineral flavors, fruit and subtle herbaceousness, mostly of the dried herb variety. In general, high-elevation Mayacamas Cabernets offer briary, brambly flavors of wild berries, hints of spice, black pepper and dried herbs, such as lavender, anise and sage, and tend to exhibit more structure than Cabs made at lower levels. This rare combination of distinctive qualities imparted from mountain vineyards is worth the extra effort and expense to acquire them.
And it seems the higher up the mountain the grapes grow, the more magical the wine. Excelsior!
Based in San Francisco, Contributing Editor Steve Pitcher may be reached via e-mail at wine2words@aol.com.
Select Mayacamas Cabernet Vineyards
Napa Side (arranged in descending order of elevation)
Mayacamas Vineyards' estate vineyard on Mt. Veeder, extending from 1,800 to 2,400 feet in elevation.
Random Ridge's ten-acre estate vineyard straddles the Napa-Sonoma county line at 2,300 feet on Mt. Veeder.
Diamond Mountain Vineyard, Constant's mountaintop site at 2,200 feet on Diamond Mountain.
Pride Mountain Vineyards' estate vineyard tops the Spring Mountain District at 2,100 feet.
Cain Vineyard in the Spring Mountain District between 1,400 and 2,100 feet.
Barnett Vineyards' estate vineyards near the top of the Spring Mountain District; the highest is Rattlesnake at 2,050 feet.
Hess Collection's 285 acres of estate vineyards on Mt. Veeder extend from 600 to 2,000 feet.
Philip Togni's estate vineyard, ten acres (80 percent cabernet) planted on Spring Mountain between 1,800 and 2,000 feet.
Yverdon Vineyard, sited at 1,800-1,900 feet in the Spring Mountain District, is one of two Terra Valentine estate properties.
Chateau Potelle's 202 acres of estate vineyards planted on Mt. Veeder at 1,800 feet.
Fife's 56-acre estate vineyard in the Spring Mountain District planted between 1,600 and 1,800 feet.
Smith-Madrone's estate vineyard in the Spring Mountain District planted between 1,600 and 1,800 feet
Diamond Mountain Ranch, Sterling Vineyards' Diamond Mountain property, ranges in elevation from 1,500 to 1,700 feet.
Spaulding Vineyard, Stonegate Winery's property, is planted at 1,600 feet on Diamond Mountain.
Marston Vineyards' estate parcels are sited between 700 to 1,100 feet on Spring Mountain.
Sonoma Side (arranged in descending order of elevation)
Bismark Mountain Ranch Vineyard, Hanna Winery's Mt. Veeder property stretches from 1,400 to 2,600 feet.
Hawkeye Mountain Estate, part of Kendall-Jackson's John Alexander Mountain Estate, is planted from 960 to 2,400 feet.
Nuns Canyon Vineyard, owned by St. Francis Winery, is sited high above the town of Kenwood at about 2,000 feet.
Les Pavots Vineyard, one of several contiguous vineyards owned by Peter Michael Winery on the western slopes of Mount St. Helena, is sited between 1,200 and 1,800 feet (chardonnay is planted at an even higher elevation).
Wedding Vineyard, Fisher Vineyards' crown jewel south of Mount St. Helena is planted in the high slopes above the city of Santa Rosa at 1,400 feet.
Ferrari-Carano's Alexander Mountain Estate hugs the slopes of Black Mountain between 800 and 1,300 feet.
Anderson Ranch (also called Vineyards of TreMonte), owned by Ferrari-Carano, is sited in the upper foothills of the Mayacamas between 700 and 1,300 feet.
Monte Rosso Vineyard, owned by Louis M. Martini Winery, is composed of 250 acres of rolling, terraced vines on reddish soil spread out across the slopes of Mt. Pisgah between 900 and 1,200 feet in elevation (both the winery and vineyard are now part of Gallo's impressive holdings). - SP
Tasting BAR
All the wines were double decanted, allowed to breath for an hour and tasted blind in San Francisco except where noted.
Barnett, 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon, Spring Mountain District - $60: Fragrant aromas of blackberry, cassis, plum, mocha and clove-cinnamon spice with a subtle note of violets are replicated on the palate with marked intensity. Smooth textured and luscious yet powerful, exhibiting ripe, supple tannins and wonderful concentration of opulent, kirsch-like fruit. (2,254 cases) Score: 92
Constant, 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon, Diamond Mountain Vineyard, Diamond Mountain - $85: Initially closed, the nose opens with airing to show black cherry-cassis fruit, vanilla and a subtle note of fresh tarragon. Generous and boldly flavored, offering layers of black fruit, oak spice and minerals; richly textured with medium-full tannins that are ripe and supple. (971 cases) Score: 90
Ferrari-Carano, 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma County - $28: Come-hither aromas of cassis, black cherry and dark berry, mocha, clove and subtle dried herb. Smooth, round and luscious with medium tannins, lingering jammy fruit flavors, notes of eucalyptus and green olive, and a hint of white pepper. A very well-knit, delicious mountain-grown Cab that finishes with a flourish of vanilla-tinged berry fruit. (6,400 cases) Score: 91
Fisher, 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon, Wedding Vineyard, Sonoma County - $125: Beguiling aromas of cassis-black cherry fruit, bittersweet chocolate, mocha, a warm topsoil earthiness and dried lavender. Supremely elegant and plush with a dense, broad middle, well-integrated, ripe tannins and mouth-coating flavors that echo the nose, accented by a touch of sweet red cherry. A beautifully crafted Cab that exhibits class at every angle and finishes with a spicy berry note. (350 cases) Score: 93
Hanna, 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon, Bismark Mountain Ranch, Sonoma Valley - $60: Forward, complex aromas of brambly dark berry, black cherry, mocha, tobacco and fresh sage, plus a whiff of gaminess. Powerful and bold with ripe, muscular tannins; enormously extracted and rich, offering layers of blackberry fruit, marzipan and a subtle green olive herbaceousness, finishing with a suggestion of crème brûlée. (3,750 cases) Score: 92
Kendall-Jackson, 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon, Hawkeye Mountain Estate, Highlands Estates Series, Alexander Valley, Sonoma Valley - $45: Wonderfully perfumed with aromas of dried lavender, white pepper, violets and cassis. Rich and concentrated on the palate with medium-full tannins, this sturdy Cab delivers copious black fruit flavors accented by white pepper spice and an appealing hint of Rhône-like meatiness. Tasted open with the winemaker. (500 cases; March 2005 release) Outstanding
Louis M. Martini, 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon, Monte Rosso Vineyard, Sonoma Valley - $50: Appealing scents of blackberry, rubbed sage, cassis, anise, green peppercorn, cocoa and cedar. Full bodied and opulent on the palate with medium tannins, this perfectly balanced Cab is fairly brimming with ripe black fruits accented by clove spice, bittersweet chocolate and sage-like herbaceousness, followed by a long finish. (1,365 cases) Score: 90
Mayacamas Vineyards, 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley - $55: Forward aromas of brambly blackberry-black cherry fruit, dried lavender and sage. Brawny and slightly rough on the palate with powerful tannins that demand aging, the wine's purity of fruit is compelling and its weight and texture are reminiscent of a fine Barolo. A decade away from maturity; breathing for an hour or two before service is suggested in the interim. (1,500 cases) Score: 89
Peter Michael, 2001 Les Pavots, Knights Valley - $150: A blend of 72 percent cabernet sauvignon, 16 percent merlot, ten percent cabernet franc and two percent petit verdot, the cuvée reveals intense aromas of ripe blackberry and blueberry fruit with undertones of meatiness, black licorice, lavender and roasted coffee bean. Generous and extracted with ripe, velvety tannins and opulent flavors that echo the nose accented by a subtle minerality; finishes long with a note of white chocolate. Exciting to drink now with the richness, extract and structure to age gracefully over the next dozen years. (1,853 cases) Score: 94
Mount Veeder Winery, 1999 Reserve, Napa Valley - $80: An harmonious blend of 57 percent cabernet sauvignon, 40 percent merlot and one percent each cabernet franc, malbec and petit verdot from some of the oldest vines near the top of the Mt. Veeder appellation. Deep aromas of ripe cassis, blackberry and mixed dried herbs. Luscious and palate coating with medium-full tannins and intense flavors of blackberry-black cherry fruit layered with notes of chocolate, leather and spice. Richly textured and full bodied, this is an elegant, generous Meritage. (1,478 cases) Score: 91
Pride, 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley - $56: Enticing scents of blackberry, cassis, crushed dried herbs and subtle oak spice. Velvety smooth and luscious on the palate with ripe, medium tannins and explosive, ripe blackberry flavors melded with the wonderful dried-herb component suggested by the nose; a subtle note of vanilla is gained in the long, extended finish. A beautifully crafted, wonderfully focused Cab that will gain even more complexity with several years of cellaring. (4,300 cases) Score: 93
St. Francis, 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, Nuns Canyon, Sonoma Valley - $45: Initially quite tarry which, with airing, moderates a bit and opens to show brambly berry and cocoa scents with a touch of leathery brett. Chewy, richly textured and full bodied with copious black fruit flavors, a leathery edge and medium-full tannins. A brawny mountain Cab that requires decanting and as much breathing time as possible before service. (2,800 cases; synthetic closure) Score: 88
Sterling, 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon, Diamond Mountain Ranch, Napa Valley - $40: Forward aromas of black currant, cedar, cocoa, espresso and hints of dried lavender. Mouth-filling and dense on the palate with medium-full tannins, offering luscious, cassis-blackberry fruit, a hint of minerality and subtle cinnamon spice in the finish. (3,585 cases) Score: 89
Terra Valentine, Publisher's Pick, featured in BuyLine on p. 81 - SP
