Winemakers often talk of terroir; they also say, “wine is made in the vineyard”. They talk about terroir and vineyard expression. But that expression ultimately depends on decisions made by the winemaker in the cellar. Still, if they aren’t presented with quality grapes, winemakers can’t make truly distinctive wines.
While terroir encompasses the totality of the climate influences (weather, temperature, humidity, altitude, wind, precipitation, exposure, terrain), soil, as the medium in which grapes grow, reflects the influence of all those elements while supplying its own – the components of the dirt.
Consider Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. While there is a generally recognized “Napa style” – emphasizing pronounced fruit, lavish oak, richness, concentration, and firm body but supple texture – there are different expressions attributable to Napa’s different appellations.
Generally, the Napa Valley appellation initially can be understood by distinguishing between the valley floor and the hills and mountains. Those mountains are the Vaca to the east and the Mayacamas to the west. Then we can differentiate between the sixteen official “sub-appellations” that recognize distinct, localized character. Here I cover eight of them moving from north to south with recommended wines.
Generally, though, we can start by distinguishing between vineyards on the valley floor and vineyards in the hills and mountains. Valley floor vineyards are mostly sediments washed from the mountains, producing fertile, nutrient rich soils. Valley floor wines tend to upfront fruit with good structure but a more broad, lush mouthfeel and graceful tannins. More approachable upon release, they still age quite well.
Calistoga, at the northern end of the valley, is the warmest in the valley. Its mostly volcanic soils yield sturdy Cabernets. The Duckhorn “Three Palms Vineyard” (2016, $100), from a vineyard more famous for its Merlot and its spare loam and volcanic soils, is large scaled, deeply flavored, powerful, and complex.
St. Helena, a few miles south of Calistoga, is mostly more fertile volcanic soils (and riper, more graceful wines) in the north and east and less fertile sedimentary soils (and powerful, earthy wines) in the south and west. J. Lohr Carol’s Vineyard (2016, $60), located on the east side along Silverado Trail, with its well-drained, gravelly, sandy loam soil, has yielded a fairly concentrated wine of dark berries with noticeable oak, and notes of mocha, and tobacco, with a sleek palate.
Rutherford, continuing south, has mostly well-drained loam and alluvial soils. The western side is fairly fertile, largely sedimentary, gravelly and sandy, while the eastern side is more volcanic and more fertile. In general, the wines are rich and supple with fine grained tannins. The 2016 Duckhorn ($100) offers intense fruit, dusty tannins, earthy notes and a flinty character.
Coombsville, located east of the city of Napa in the south valley, is mostly rocky volcanic and alluvial deposits from the Vaca Mountains. The wines are well structured with rich earth notes. The 2017 Mi Sueño “Mama Ester” ($95), from estate vineyards, offers bold dark fruits, with mocha and a tight, structured palate that needs time to develop.
For hillside and especially mountainside vineyards, which usually lie above the fog line, the higher altitudes generally mean evening temperatures are warmer and daytime temperatures are much cooler. Thinner soils are less fertile, rocky, and dry, stressing the vines to find water. This results in wines typically firmly structured and focused with intense fruit and powerful, sometimes unruly tannins ripe for resolution with aging. Some are more rustic than polished and many reveal minerality and a savory earthiness.
Howell Mountain, a smallish area located in the northern Vaca range above St Helena, its rocky volcanic ash and gravelly clay soils are thin and nutrient poor. This generally produces large-scaled wines with wild fruit character, tobacco, and the tannic structure to age many years. The 2016 Duckhorn ($100), given an extra year of bottle age than other Duckhorn Cabs, balances power and structure with poise and grace.
Atlas Peak, on the southern Vaca range in the eastern hills and mountains of Napa above the Stags Leap District, is mostly volcanic and basalt soils making for wines of bright red fruits, earth tones, density and firm tannins. I had four fine examples in my tasting:
- 2017 Chappellet “Signature” ($70) made from top vineyards on Atlas Peak, including Chappellet’s own Pritchard Hill Estate, is concentrated, delightfully spirited and earthy.
- 2016 Acumen PEAK ($115) combines fruit from the organically farmed Edcora and Attelas estate vineyards; concentrated lively black currant, full-bodied, energetic, mint and spice, firm in the mouth, gravelly tannins.
- 2016 Acumen PEAK Edcora Vineyard ($145), a selection of the finest blocks and barrels dense, it reveals black fruit, full-bodied, velvety tannins, enticing freshness, with herbal and earthy notes.
- 2018 Priest Ranch ($50) from blocks on their Somerston Estate, fresh, juicy dark berries and cassis, tobacco, eucalyptus, fairly full, with a fine texture.
Spring Mountain is situated in the upper middle of the Mayacamus Mountains, between the mostly volcanic soils of Diamond Mountain to the north and the mostly sedimentary soils on Mount Veeder to the south. Which explains why the district contains both volcanic and sandstone soils on its many rocky, infertile slopes. This often makes for rounder wines with softer tannins than other mountain districts but more intensely flavored fruit.
Founded on the top of Spring Mountain in 1971, the steep, dry-farmed vineyards of Smith-Madrone are planted in mostly stony clay loam that is volcanic-based and rocky. The 2016 Estate Bottled ($58) is expectedly sleek in texture but still presenting a strong tannic structure. Dark berries and red currant lead into herbal and savory elements, including hints of tobacco.
View of Mt. Veeder provided by Napa Valley Vintners
Mount Veeder, at the southern end of the Mayacamas Mountains on the west side of the valley, is mostly shallow sedimentary soils of sandstone or sandy loam from a former seabed. Hallmarks include dark fruits, earth and bright structure. The 2017 Mi Sueño “Lynn’s Vineyard” ($95), from an estate owned vineyard with good exposure, shows jammy character with nicely incorporated oak, tobacco and a sleek texture.
Many wines simply carry a Napa Valley designation, which usually means their grapes come from several sub-appellations. And one could argue such wines are more fully representative of the region.
2017 Spottswoode “Lyndenhurst” ($85) with about half of its fruit from the Spottswoode estate and the rest from trusted growers in Oak Knoll, St. Helena and Atlas Peak, it’s bold fruit, herbal complexities and lush texture will impress any Cabernet fan.
2017 Bella Union ($80) from Bella Union Vineyard in Rutherford and select sources throughout the valley, marked by red fruits, a touch of spice and well-mannered tannins.
2017 Duckhorn ($78) blended from estate vineyards and selected growers in Coombesville, Mt. Veeder and Oak Knoll. But the Napa Valley bottling signifies the winery’s reputation for large scaled, deeply flavored wines. It is bright, supple, balanced, immediately appealing and polished, yet firmly structured.
2017 Mi Sueño ($75) a classic multi-vineyard Napa Cab, full and rich and enjoyable now but with the ability to age.
2016 Robert Mondavi ($34) The famous Mondavi winery sources fruit primarily from Oakville (well-drained alluvial bench) and Stag’s Leap District (Wappo Vineyard) along with grapes from various sources.
While the Napa Valley has become established as one of the planet’s premier sources of Cabernet Sauvignon wine (second only to Bordeaux) There are other notable and important regions for Cabernet along the West Coast. This post extends my consideration to three of those appellations.
Sonoma County is an incredibly diverse wine growing region, with eighteen appellations. Each has a unique climate and geography. The Pacific Ocean, the Russian River and the Mayacamas Mountains are major influences reflected in the soils of the different appellations. According to Sonoma County Winegrowers, the region’s dramatic geological history (an inland sea and tectonic upheavals) has resulted in 11 major formation types, 31 different soil series within those types, and innumerable permutations within each series. But the basic soil structure is defined by volcanic ash and lava.
Here I recommend wines from two pioneers of Sonoma wine and two of Sonoma’s best-known Cabernet appellations.
The Alexander Valley is distinguished by rocky, less fertile and well drained soils on the mountain tops, including ancient seafloor and younger volcanic soils and richer sedimentary deposits (gravelly, sandy loam) in the benchlands.
Rodney Strong, established in 1959, is one of the modern day pioneers of Sonoma County wine. Today the winery produces a wide range of wines from throughout Sonoma but Cabernet is its signature wine. The 2016 “Brothers” ($75), comes from a hillside vineyard east of Cloverdale in northern Alexander Valley. The vineyard’s loam underlain by sandstone, shale, and ancient greenstone is reflected the wine’s deep, dark fruit and boldly ripe flavors. It’s fresh tannins balance its richness. The 2016 Reserve ($45) uses Alexander Valley grapes and fruit from Rodney Strong’s newly developed Cooley Ranch (steep terrain and volcanic soils located on the edge of Rockpile Appellation). These origins allow for solid dark fruit and structure but supple tannins, with herbal touches.
Sebastiani, established in 1904, was a much earlier pioneer of Sonoma winemaking, though it has been under new owners since 2008. Its 2017 Old Vine ($65), showing juicy dark berries and spicy notes, comes mostly from the Eco Tereno Vineyard located along the Russian River in northern Alexander Valley which was planted in 1973. The remainder is from the Cherryblock Vineyard in Sonoma Valley. The 2017 Gravel Bed ($65), from a selection of well-drained and, yes, gravelly sites, reveals sweet blackberry, enticing anise and lush tannins.
The Sonoma Valley appellation is framed by the Mayacamas Mountains to the east and the Sonoma Mountains to the west. The soils in the flatter, valley areas tend to be quite fertile loam, while the soils at higher elevations are meager, rocky and well-drained. The 2017 Cherryblock ($125) is sourced from a special Old Vines block of Sebastiani’s estate in Sonoma Valley. Its ripe, juicy red fruit is presented in a firm but finely honed palate and complimented with savory notes.
Paso Robles in California’s Central Coast is known for some extreme growing conditions but especially well-drained, gravelly and chalky limestone soils in its western reaches (near the ocean) and more variable soils, including alluvial, calcareous, loam, sandy loam, and bedrock residuals on its eastern side (inland).
J. Lohr is a pioneer of the region, having produced its first wines in the 1980s. Its 2018 Hilltop ($35), primarily sourced from the gravel, limestone and shale soils of the Shotwell Vineyard in Paso’s El Pomar district, offers dark fruit, lush oak, silky tannins and lightly spicy finish present a fine Cabernet value. J. Lohr’s most expensive wine, the 2017 Signature ($100) is sourced mostly from the nearby Beck Vineyard’s granite and limestone soils. Its bright, concentrated dark fruits, hints of herbs and mocha, and strong tannins bode well for the future.
Over the last forty and especially the last twenty years, Washington State has emerged as a world class wine grower and Cabernet Sauvignon has led the way.
Established in 1978, Quilceda Creek has become one of the state’s premier wineries. Its wines are an expression of four vineyards from within the large Columbia Valley appellation: Champoux and Palengat (sandy loam), and Mach One (shallow loess with underlying basalt and river rock) in the Horse Heaven Hills sub-appellation and Galitzine (deep sandy and silty loam) in the Red Mountain sub-appellation. The 2017 CVR Columbia Valley Red Wine ($70) combines all four vineyard sites and represents a fine value, considering their other wines cost around $200. It’s precise blackberry and cherry fruit is accented with nuances of cocoa and spice; it’s spirited and well-structured but luscious.
Red Mountain, Washington’s smallest sub-appellation, with mostly sandy loam, gravel and calcium rich soils, is the home to some of Washington’s most sought after vineyards.
It also is the source of fruit for the wines of Canvasback, a member of the Duckhorn portfolio of wineries. The 2017 Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon ($42) is crafted from several area vineyards. It offers fine red fruits with hints of minerals and tobacco and a firmly structured frame. The superb 2017 Grand Passage ($84) is a block and barrel selection from the Quintessence Vineyard. Its thin, rocky, exposed sandy loam soils have are expressed in succulent red and black fruits, highlights of spice, oak, and baking spices, balanced with animated, fine tannins.