Napa Valley First International Wine Region to Receive Landmark Protection in China

In November 2010,  a delegation from the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine - the Chinese government agency that oversees GI status  - visited the United States and as part of an agricultural tour, spent a day in the Napa Valley.  

The People's Republic of China has announced that Napa Valley has been recognized with Geographic Indication (GI) status in that country. Napa Valley is the first region outside of China to be so recognized with this designation. It provides the pivotal element in consumer protection against wines illegitimately labeled as being from Napa Valley in this important and rapidly expanding market. 

The GI was published in the report by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine which was just released.

"We are thrilled by the news that China, an economic world power and growing wine importer, has decided to grant Napa Valley this status, and we are honored to learn that we are the first winegrowing region outside of that country to achieve it," said Linda Reiff, NVV's executive director. "This is an historic milestone for the Napa Valley appellation and speaks to the global respect for our region's reputation and high-quality wines."

"Having the Chinese government's official recognition protects the integrity of the Napa Valley brand, and does so fairly early-on in our efforts to develop this tremendous market. This is a 'win' for Napa Valley and a 'win' for the Chinese consumer," Reiff said.

As was the case when achieving GI recognition from the European Union, the NVV made the request directly from the trade association to the government. Similarly with the EU, this had not been done before in China. Given the world-wide renown of brand Napa Valley, government officials saw the need and the value for this recognition.

The NVV members and staff worked for many years with the Chinese government to achieve the GI including several face-to-face meetings in Beijing. Meeting the winemakers, learning more about the unique attributes and the limited production of Napa's wines helped officials better understand the importance of this initiative.

"The Chinese market is only going to increase in importance to us in the coming years. We needed to make sure we were safeguarding our brand and its reputation. It's clear that they see the value in this from both the prospective of the producer, but also from the prospective of the consumers in China," said Cakebread Cellars' President Bruce Cakebread, who actively participated in the negotiations.

Read more here.

Glorious Chardonnay

Yesterday was a beautiful morning to be harvesting 2.1 tons of this gorgeous Crosby Roamann Chardonnay from an organic vineyard in Carneros.  We are excited about what the future holds for this deliciously ripe and concentrated fruit. 

Sparkling harvest at Domaine Chandon

This is it!

The sparkling wine harvest at Chandon! We started on August 8 bringing in Chardonnay and finished with Pinot Noir from Carneros on September 17 — 41 days of nonstop activity.

Harvest in Carneros (left) and Yountville (right)

The first round of fermentation is now complete and the wine has been inoculated for malolactic fermentation...so after a busy month and half receiving fruit, racking, yeasting, etc. we can now relax and enjoy weekends again!!!

This year for us, at Domaine Chandon, was a special harvest as we inaugurated our new press pad. We quickly became familiar with our new equipment and everything went very smoothly and quite well.

Overall this year, we feel very fortunate. The wines are tasting great with bright acidity and beautiful fruit. We couldn't be happier about the quality of this vintage.

Thank you to our geat team!

 This year 6 countries were represented: US, Mexico, France, Spain, Argentina and Trinidad!

Cheers to a great vintage and good luck to the winemakers still in harvest mode!

Pauline

Assistant Winemaker, Sparkling wines

Hurry Up and Wait

I can’t believe it’s October. Literally, it feels like yesterday we ran into our friends at Barnett Vineyards enjoying a casual Labor Day brunch on the patio at Solage, and today the SF Giants are gearing up to face the Reds in the MLB Playoffs. In retrospect, the only explanation can be that September was better than advertised.

Marbue, Michael and James with Albion 2012

What has quickly become the theme to Napa Valley 2012, the weather continues to be perfect. Exceptional even. I continue to knock on wood, thinking that in some way that will be the underlying secret to continuing these beautiful conditions. Under a moonlight sky on Tuesday, September 11^th we harvested the grapes for our 2012 Albion. Yields were back up from 2011 and the quality was ideal. Fast forward three weeks and fermentation is complete. Some lots are aging in stainless barrels, others in oak, and the subtle nuances from each will have a dramatic impact on the finished wine. Over the next few months we’ll track the maturity of what we anticipate to be a great vintage.

With the whites perfectly situated in the cellar, we’ve transitioned to focus on our estate Cabernet Sauvignon grown on the southern slopes of the Spring Mountain District. Reports throughout the valley suggest harvest for the red varietals is fully underway. Shafer has reported crushing some of the first lots of its Hillside Select fruit, our neighbor Vineyard7 & 8  has been active with Cabernet Sauvignon, and yet we anticipate being roughly a week away from our first blocks to be picked. Following the heat of Monday through Wednesday of this week (99, 104 and 101 degrees, respectively), we have a modest cooling trend upon us that will bring temps down into the mid-80s and the fruit back into balance. Samples taken yesterday and today show amazing promise, and we’re letting the fruit hang to allow the grape skins and tannins to develop ever so slightly. It’s a magical time to hurry up and wait!

Cheers,

James

Marston Family Vineyard

Next Week: The Patience is Rewarded

Oakville Harvest for Spoto Wines

Ari and Stuart Spoto at the early morning harvest of Oakville Merlot and Cabernet Franc.  In this photo, Ari and Stuart are field sorting the fruit prior to the crush.
The fruit was picked at 26.5 Brix (3.5pH) and more importantly tasting fantastic.  After one day in the cold room tank, the fruit is already dark in color and rich in flavor.  2012 is shaping up to be a great wine year!

Vineyard 7&8: Harvest 2012's Exceptional Quality!

Some would say that after the past couple challenging harvest in the Napa Valley, that we were due for a wonderfully "typical" year.  I would say that so far at Vineyard 7&8, that is almost exactly what we have received!

The 2012 growing season was marked by summer temperatures that were back to normal for our region, and continued into the fall with warm days and cooler evenings.  This, paired with a great fruit set in the vineyards, pointed way for what could be a relatively calm and moderately paced harvest!

That was until this past week!  It was simply amazing.  Driving to the winery this week in the early morning before sunrise, the temperatures on the valley floor were in the upper 50's, but when I made it to the top of Spring Mountain, at 2000 feet above the valley floor, the temperatures were already pushing into the upper 70's!

Those "typical" cool evenings and warm days, were replaced by warm evenings and hot days!

This was the perfect recipe for creating a "perfect storm" if you will, and setting the pace for what is currently a fast push to harvest what our Winemaker and I believe is some of the best fruit we have seen in recent years.  Flavors are wonderful, the chemistry is great, and yields are coming in at or above average.

At this point, our 2012 "Estate" Chardonnay has been picked, pressed and now currently fermenting away in barrel as seen in the photos above.  We have then moved to bringing in some exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon from one of our growers here on Spring Mountain, as well from our Estate on Spring Mountain as well!

While only 1 week into the 2012 harvest, we look to be finishing the week having picked nearly 80-90% of our fruit for the season, leaving just a few days next week to complete yet another epic adventure in the Napa Valley!

Wishing all fellow vintners the best of luck this harvest season.  I simply cannot wait to see how great the wines are from this vintage!

Cheers!

Wesley Steffens
Vineyard 7&8
http://www.vineyard7and8.com/

Harvest Update from St. Supery Estate

Geoff Gatto, Director of Vineyard Operations for St. Supéry  Estate Vineyards & Winery, took a few minutes out of his very busy and rather sleepless schedule to give a quick update on how Harvest is progressing in the St. Supéry  estate vineyards. 

Geoff and his team officially kicked off harvest at St. Supéry’s Dollarhide Estate Vineyard at 10:00 PM on August 27th. Most of our harvesting is done at night and in the cool morning hours here in Napa Valley. Our vineyard team gets to sleep in the mid afternoon (sometimes) and starts again that evening. It’s a busy (understatement) time of year for them and they are  looking forward to November when they can catch up on their Zzzzs.

Here’s what Geoff has to say: “We are bringing in last of the Dollarhide Moscato fruit this Saturday morning, which will complete the white wine grape harvest of 2012 for St. Supéry Estate. Sauvignon Blanc finished earlier this week. Moderate weather led to even, balanced ripening and very good flavors in our white wine fruit. 

We picked the first parcels of Cabernet Sauvignon at Dollarhide on Wednesday, September 26. We will start picking Merlot at our Rutherford Estate Vineyard the first week of October. Continued optimal weather conditions promise great flavors from the reds as well.”

Vintage 2012 looks stellar so far! Stop by our newly renovated winery to catch all the Crush and winemaking in action.

-St. Supéry Estate

Napa Cellars: When a Tank Goes “Dry”

When the juice finally ferments to below 0.01 residual sugars, the “Must” is pressed. This process involves many steps. First of all the juice (we can officially call it wine at this point). Is drained into another tank. What is leftover is all the skins and seeds that have been soaking in fermenting juice for about a week. This is when the fun starts. We shovel out the seeds and stems into a macro bin. This is only a small tank so most of the must can be reached from our little gate here.

On the bigger tanks somebody has to crawl inside to shovel out the must. On the largest tanks we have, (they hold about 45 tons of grape skins and seeds) we play a little game. If you can shovel it out in under 1 hour the company will buy you lunch. Needless to say this creates a very competitive atmosphere. I will keep you posted on the times when those get shoveled out.

Once all of the must is shoveled out it goes into a press. At first the press lightly squeezes the berries and gets any leftover wine out of them. That wine is pumped into its own special tank. Next, we crank up the pressure and really squeeze whatever might be left in the berries out. Since the berries and seeds have all the tannins, squeezing them produces really tanic dark wine. This juice is again pumped into its own special tank to keep all those tannins out of our nice clean wine. Later, if the winemaker chooses to, he will add little bits and pieces of these “pressed” wines to the “free run” wine until it reaches the desired tastes and texture. Things are fermenting well and moving really fast. Yesterday we drained and pressed about 10 tanks. Its a lot of hard work but somebody has to do it. As of the end of September we have received a total of 1344 tons of grapes. That breaks down into 466 tons in white grapes and 878 tons of red grapes.

Only 2506 tons to go.

Living the dream ~ Jacob.

Follow the Napa Cellars harvest interns, Jacob & Andrew, as they work Harvest 2012!

Elyse Winery celebrates 25th harvest!

Napa Valley’s Elyse Winery has two causes for celebration this harvest - in addition to a stellar looking 2012 vintage in Napa Valley, it is the 25th harvest for the winery! It was back in 1987 that Ray and Nancy Coursen crushed 4.5 tons of Zinfandel from the Morisoli Vineyard in Rutherford to craft 286 cases of their first wine. The label is named for their daughter, Elyse. 

To A Great Harvest...

With harvest well underway at Raymond Vineyards, Winemaker Stephanie Putnam and Winegrower Eric Pooler provide a brief update on what they believe will be a stunning vintage.

Harvest 2012... It's a Good Year to be a Grapevine

One, Just One, Green Grape

It was just one green grape. It was one green grape too many. It's always something.

It has been a picture perfect vintage here in the Napa Valley and at Cornerstone Cellars. A lovely spring, with warm, dry weather for flowering and fruit-set. A “three bears” sort of summer: not too cold, not too hot, just right. So why was it there? As you passed through the vineyards you could not miss it standing out like a sore green thumb in the middle of a bunch of gloriously deep purple cabernet sauvignon, there would be one, just one, green berry.

No big deal, right? How could just one unripe grape on some bunches make any difference when all the others were perfectly ripe? One green grape is a very big deal if you want to make wines that are special.

Also there was another issue. Everything else this vintage has been perfect. The gorgeous weather has produced fruit capable of making wines from this vintage something very special indeed. When Mother Nature gives you such a gift you must take advantage of it. There is a sense of duty, responsibility, to take this gift and do everything in your power to make not only great wines, but memorable ones.

What could we do? For us there was no choice. Out into the vineyards went our crews with one mission: to remove one-by-one those individual green grapes. Armed with scissors they went down the rows with the precision of a Bonsai gardener. Was this expensive? Certainly, but this is the price you pay to go beyond good, or very good, on to greatness in a wine. For us there was no choice.

We’re getting pickier and pickier every year as finicky is a virtue when it comes to winemaking. Not satisfied with just dropping any less than perfect fruit in the vineyard, we are going beyond just sorting out any bunches that don’t meet out standards and this vintage will be sorting individual berries on a special sorting table specially designed for nit-pickers like us. Note this is not a job we farm out, Jeff and I do all the sorting ourselves.

Like our neighbors here in the Napa Valley, here at Cornerstone Cellars we'll spare nothing, not only in this glorious vintage, but in each-and-every vintage to make wines that we love to drink and, most of all, that we are proud to share with you.

Craig Camp

A perfect bunch of Cabernet Sauvignon is framed by the breaking of dawn.

Sniffing Barrels

Sean McBride, winemaker for Crosby Roamann is doing exactly what it looks like...sniffing the barrels making sure everything smells beautiful and healthy--and it does, wonderful perfume and floral aromas.  The Sauvignon Blanc is half way through fermentation! 

Supervisors proclaim Latino Heritage Month in Napa County

The Napa County Board of Supervisors today proclaimed Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, 2012, to be Latino Heritage Month in Napa County, in recognition of the County’s diverse Latino population and in an effort to promote diversity and inclusion throughout the community.

         “Napa Valley has a wonderful, longstanding tradition of multicultural inclusion,” said District 1 Supervisor Brad Wagenknecht. “Latino Heritage Month presents all of us with a wonderful opportunity to enjoy and learn more about our diverse Latino cultures."

         The Napa Valley Latino Heritage Committee, which includes Latino and non-Latino volunteer community members who share a goal of promoting multiculturalism, diversity and inclusion, has compiled a calendar of events throughout the four-week observation, including  musical and dance performances at the Uptown Theatre and the Napa Valley Opera House, a book program at the Napa County libraries, and events sponsored by the Napa County Hispanic Network, the Napa County Hispanic Chamber, Latinos Unidos, the St. Helena Multi-Cultural Committee, Somos Napa, St. Helena Library, St. Helena Family Center and more.

         For a complete, bilingual list event calendar, please visit www.somosnapa.org . Printed, bilingual calendars of events also will be available in libraries and at family resource centers.

            Napa County is home to a growing multi-ethnic and multicultural Latino population.

According to the 2010 census, Napa County’s Latino population has grown by 50 percent over

the past ten years and now represents more than 32 percent of Napa County residents (about

44,000 people), including people originating from México and countries in the Caribbean, and Central and South America.

            In 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson first recognized Hispanic Heritage week. President Reagan expanded the observation to one month, and each successive United States President has continued that tradition. In 2011, President Barack Obama declared Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 to be National Hispanic Heritage Month and called upon the people of the United States to observe this month with appropriate respect, ceremonies and activities. Today’s Board action marks the first proclaimed Latino Heritage Month in Napa County.

         Debbie Alter-Starr, director of Somos Napa – We Are Napa and a member of the Latino Heritage Committee, said, “By helping found this first annual Napa County Latino Heritage Month, I hope to help children and their families in the Napa Valley experience the riches that cross-cultural friendships and multi-lingual lifestyles can bring.”

         “The diverse Latino population of the Napa Valley makes an invaluable economic contribution to our community, as well as having profound positive, social influences through their strong commitment to family, faith, education, hard work, culture and service,” said Frances Ortiz-Chávez, Napa Valley Unified School District Board Trustee and center director Puertas Abiertas Community Resource Center.

         Jaime Peñaherrera, director of Diversity & Community Partnerships at Queen of the Valley Medical Center, commented, “Today, the Napa Valley is a truly transcultural community that enjoys contributions from families and individuals from almost every corner of the globe. While the festivities of Latino Heritage Month feature the cultures of México, Caribbean and Central and South America, they are open, appropriate and enjoyable for everyone.”

         For more information about Latino Heritage Month, contact Debbie Alter-Starr at (707) 480-7436 or deb@somosnapa.org.

Harvest Napa Valley 2012: It's go time!

Checking sugar levels in Oakville

Ari Spoto is helping her dad check the grapes in Oakville. The fruit is maturing nicely and it appears to be on track for a late September early October harvest. Stay tune for more updates.

Joseph Phelps Wines begins it's 40th harvest!

 Winemaking Team: Damian, Ashley, Kelly and David.

The Social Elements of Harvest

Before skipping to the fun "social" events surrounding Harvest 2012, I’d be remiss if I didn’t touch on the activity happening here in the vineyard first.

MFV Winemaking Team

This year will be our fourth harvest of Sauvignon Blanc for our proprietary white wine, Albion. As with most varietals this year, our rows of Sauvignon Blanc had a great set and are maturing beautifully. The heat from the past few weeks accelerated ripening slightly, and we’ll continue to monitor the grapes more closely as we approach harvest. Whereas 2010 and 2011 were more concerned with ripening and fruit profile due to the cooler temperatures, this year we will focus on acid development to maintain an elegant balance for Albion. A few neighbors have begun harvesting Sauvignon Blanc, but we’re likely 10 days away from bringing in the first lots for crush. On the flipside, our Cabernet Sauvignon continues to soak up the sun and enjoy this beautiful weather. We walked the vineyard on Wednesday and were pleased with the progress. There are a few minor adjustments we’ll make in select blocks to maximize uniformity, but at the moment we’re content and optimistic! (A rarity).

2012 NVV Harvest Party

On to the harvest celebrations. This week was especially exciting as the Napa Valley Vintners hosted their annual harvest party at Bale Grist Mill in Saint Helena. Personally, I’d never been to the mill, only passing it en route to visit the McCrea’s at Stony Hill, and was looking forward to something new. Roughly 300 of our fellow vintners gathered to celebrate the growing season, and imbibe in the fruits of our collective labor. Long banquet tables were arranged under the backdrop of the mill, and Silverado Brewing Company prepared a fantastic meal. I always enjoy these events because of the people, and this year was no exception.

America's Cup Trophy

The perfect complement to our harvest party was a brief trip to San Francisco to celebrate the 161^st Anniversary of America’s Cup. The Napa Valley is the official wine region of the 34th America’s Cup, and fellow vintners put on quite a party at Club 45 to welcome the AC World Series to the San Francisco Bay. Team members mingled with vintners and exchanged sailing adventures for winemaking tips. Although this doesn't necessarily qualify as an official harvest party per se, the setting was superb and the wines of the Napa Valley helped set the stage for a great week of racing, complete with a slice of anniversary cake!

Cheers,

James

Marston Family Vineyard

Next Week: Harvest STOMP! and Preparations for White Wines