Michael Baldacci of Baldacci Family Vineyards shares some favorite #PNV13 lots

Premiere Napa Valley week is finally here! The Napa Valley has come alive with excitement and anticipation of this year's auction.

Three lots that I am looking forward to tasting on Saturday are Reynolds Family Winery, Cakebread Cellars, and the Ghost Block/Markham Vineyards joint lot...and of course, I must include mention of our lot from Baldacci Family Vineyards.


Steve Reynolds, Reynolds Family Winery

 Steve Reynolds, the winemaker at Reynolds Family Vineyards, is the chair of this year's Premiere Napa Valley. While he has worked many long hours to put the auction together, Steve has also labored over the wine that he will be donating to this year’s auction - a Cabernet Sauvignon, with a touch of Cabernet Franc and Merlot that all comes from the Stags Leap District. The wine is aged for 20 months in 100% New French Oak. The name of the wine this year is “ONE” to represent “those pioneers’ singular vision of what Napa Valley could be…” As the chair of the auction this year Steve is looking forward to what he calls an event that is “almost like wine heaven.”

The Del Bondio and Pelissa families began harvesting grapes in the valley more than 100 years ago and enjoy a close, multi-generational relationship. To celebrate, Bryan Del Bondio, president of Markham Vineyards and Andrew Hoxsey, proprietor of Ghost Block and grandson of Andrew Pelissa, have joined together for the fifth year to present a powerful blend red blend for Premiere. The fruit comes from Markham's Yountville Vineyard— planted after Prohibition and the source of the winery's Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon—and the Ghost Block Vineyard, part of pioneer George Yount's original land grant where he planted the first grapevines in Napa Valley. Bryan and Andrew offer this wine in honor of historic vineyards, family heritage and more than 100 years of Napa Valley history.

This year Cakebread Cellars honors their founders Jack and Dolores Cakebread. 40 years ago they made 157 cases of Chardonnay, and feel as if the 2012 is one of their best vintages for Chardonnay. The wine is a blend from their Cuttings Wharf vineyard and Foster Road Ranch, two of the four estate vineyards used for our Carneros Chardonnay Reserve. The grapes were hand harvested, whole-cluster pressed and barrel fermented. After four months, they blended the individual lots, and then put them back in barrel for finishing. The wine demonstrates the Cakebread style, with good fruit character—a balanced wine that will age gracefully for 7 -10 years.

What is my family's winery bringing to Premiere Napa valley? Baldacci Family Vineyards is a small family owned estate in the heart of the Stags Leap District. Producing 100% percent cabs since 2000, Premiere Napa Valley is a great time for our winery to show off everything that the Stags Leap District has blessed us with. We've use our ‘best of the best’ for Premiere Napa Valley. Our winemaker, Rolando Herrera, chooses his favorite barrel to feature our Premiere offering. This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, 100% Stags Leap District, First Born will be full of rich red fruit, and dark fruit. This wine still holds true to the Stags Leap District as this Cab can only be described as truly an "iron fist in a velvet glove." It is barrel aged for 22 months in 100% new French Oak, and then bottle aged for 12-14 months prior to release. This Baldacci Family Vineyards Premiere wine is a can’t miss, as Rolando Herrera has taken shaped fruit from the 2011 vintage into a beautiful wine.

I look forward to seeing you at Premiere!

Michael Baldacci
#PNV13 Social Media Crew
Baldacci Family Vineyards
@baldacciwinery