15th Annual Premiere Napa Valley Auction for the Trade Breaks Records, Bringing Nearly $2.4 Million

The Napa Valley Vintners' (NVV) annual wine futures auction to the trade held February 26 in the Napa Valley, broke records finishing at nearly $2.4 million in sales. At 1,000-strong, the crowd of vintners along with retailers, restaurateurs, distributors, brokers and media from across the country and around the world, assembled at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St Helena topped last year's take by more than 23% during the three-hour live auction.

"Premiere Napa Valley (PNV) is often viewed as a barometer of confidence in current, as well as future sales of Napa Valley wines. Saturday's auction totals reflect a continuing trend of improved sales in the market for fine wine from the renowned American appellation, as well as optimism for the coming months and years," said NVV Board President Kathleen Heitz Myers of Heitz Wine Cellars.

By the Numbers
The statistics show a continual trending up. Last year's PNV auction brought nearly 30% more than 2009's take, and this year closed at 6% more than 2008's record-setting $2.2 million, clear indicators that confidence in investing in Napa Valley wines is strong. Overall this year there were 68 successful bidders, a third of whom were first-time bidders, who purchased 1530 cases at an average case price of $1546, an increase of 37% over the recession-stressed take of 2009 and 20% more than 2010's average case price.

The barrel futures auction capped a day where the 500 trade attendees representing 85 retailers, 66 restaurants, and 81 distributors/brokers began early in the morning with a tasting of the 200 offerings, followed by lunch in the school's teaching kitchen. Along with bidding, the day is the "must attend" networking event for these influential trade people.

"You could feel the buzz from the time the doors opened--the weather report called for snow in the Napa Valley--seriously--and thankfully it turned out to be a beautiful, sunny day. The energy was upbeat," continued Heitz Myers.

"I am thrilled that our fundraising has been such a great success this year," said 2011 PNV Steering Committee Chair Michael Honig of Honig Vineyards and Winery. "The soul of Premiere is the opportunity to network, peer to peer for the trade and for the vintners in making new and reinforcing existing relationships with our key ambassadors in the wine trade. The Saturday event sets the stage for a lot of business being done beyond the auction. It's great for our vintners and great for these trade who sell our wine to their customers."

New Records Being Set
Saturday's auction also broke PNV's previous single-lot record bringing $125,000 for a five- case offering from Scarecrow Wine, selling to Tokyo-based Nakagawa Wine Co. The previous single-lot record of $80,000 was set in 2007. Perennial auctioneer Fritz Hatton worked the bidding war that roared quickly into six figures as the audience of bidders and vintners cheered. When the gavel fell, the crowd jumped to their feet in rousing applause.

Ichizo Nakagawa when asked why he battled for the lot said, "When I came to the auction, I intended to get that wine no matter what it took." Nakagawa purchased five lots in total.

"I'm amazed, I'm shocked," said Scarecrow owner Bret Lopez stepping outside to catch his breath. "We never dreamed we'd reach this stature and (winemaker) Celia Welsh is a genius, a humble genius who coaxes the sublime flavors from the old men," referring to the 66-year-old-vines that produce just a 1/2 ton per acre.

Gary Fisch of Gary's Wine and Marketplace with three stores in New Jersey continues as the auction's top bidder, capturing 300 cases from 32 producers, spending more than a half million dollars this year alone. Fisch holds the title as the retailer offering the most prestigious list of Premiere Napa Valley wines in the world. This year among his successful bids, Fisch captured top-grossing lots from Ovid, Duckhorn Vineyards and Robert Mondavi Winery, as well as the chair's lot from Honig Vineyards and Winery.

The value of PNV wines for a wholesale buyer like Fisch is that the wines provide offerings to clients that cannot be found anywhere else in the world, and from America's most renowned wineries that no prestigious cellar should be without.

Also among the top ten bidders of the day were; The Wine House, Los Angeles, CA; Cliffewood Wine Syndicate, Little Rock, AR; The Bounty Hunter, Napa, CA; Meritage Wine Market, Encinitas, CA; Golden Gate Wine Cellars, San Francisco, CA; Beverage Warehouse, Los Angeles, CA; Cache Road Liquor & Wines, Lawton, OK; The Metz Group, Dallas, PA; Bearfoot Bistro, Whistler, BC., Montesquieu, Napa, CA.

Rounding out the top ten highest earning lots of the day include Schrader Cellars, Ovid, first-time Premiere-participating winery, Levy and McClellan, Shafer Vineyards, Robert Mondavi Winery, Reynolds Family Winery, Duckhorn Vineyards, Silver Oak Cellars and Beringer Vineyards.

Click here for the full press release.

Click here for Premiere Napa Valley photo coverage.

A Look Back at the 2010 Chardonnay Harvest with Ceja Vineyards

Footage of the Ceja vineyard crew hard at work picking Chardonnay in the Carneros district of Napa for Ceja Vineyards' 2010 vintage.

Bottling 2009 Chardonnay with Elias Fernandez at Shafer

It's time for Shafer’s Chardonnay to move from barrel to bottle in an annual tug-of-war between winemaker and chaos!

Napa Vintners Release Findings of Climate Study

The Napa Valley Vintners (NVV) non-profit trade association announced today the release of the Napa Valley-specific climate study titled Climate and Phenology in Napa Valley: A Compilation and Analysis of Historical Data by Dr. Daniel R. Cayan, Dr. Kimberly Nicholas, Mary Tyree, and Dr. Michael Dettinger.

In 2006, a researcher garnered national media attention by predicting that Napa Valley would soon become too warm to grow fine wine grapes. These reports noted signs of warming in California and the western United States in recent decades, calling attention to several changing indicators in weather, hydrological and biological systems. Evidence from other Mediterranean climate regions around the world indicated that climate warming may be taking hold in these settings. However, the experience of Napa Valley growers has been contrary to the notion that Napa Valley has warmed substantially. A problem in applying this previous research to the Napa Valley is that it has considered just a few weather station records in Napa Valley, which has long been known for very diverse micro-climates and growing conditions.

This just-released Napa-specific study by Cayan and colleagues scrutinized weather and phenology (the growing cycle of grapevines) records based on many more stations within Napa Valley, and arrived at a number of important new conclusions. Over the four years of the study, more than 12,000 data points were collected from measurements made at geographically diverse sites in the valley, using information ranging from hand-written journals kept by long-time growers to digital data from current-day automated weather stations positioned valley-wide. Most of the observations were from records taken since the late 1970s, but some of the hand-written entries were from as early as the 1950s. The Executive Summary of the study is attached; in brief, it finds that the region has experienced some warming, approximately 1 to 2 degrees Fahrenheit over the past several decades, but considerably less warming than would be inferred from the standard cooperative observer weather stations in Napa Valley. The warming has been primarily in winter, spring and summer, and it has concentrated during nighttime rather than daytime. Over the last several decades in growing season temperatures, there has been little warming in the daytime and the available observations provide little evidence that the growing cycle of the grapevines has changed substantially.

The results, overall, provide good short-term news that consumers are not "tasting" climate change in Napa Valley wines. It reinforces the firmly held belief among growers and winemakers that the taste profile of Napa Valley's wines is driven by its place of origin, as well as by the solid direction of the in-field practices related to viticulture (clonal and rootstock selection, canopy management, irrigation, crop load and hang time, among others) along with stylistic preferences in winemaking.

Click here to read the full story.

In the Cellar reviewing the 2010 Ceja Chardonnay Vintage with Winegrower Armando Ceja

Napa Vintners' Premiere Event for the Wine Trade Sold Out

The Napa Valley Vintners (NVV) non-profit trade association announces today that its annual Premiere Napa Valley (PNV) mid-winter barrel tasting and auction for the wine trade taking place February 26 is sold out.

"We are delighted with the response from the wine trade--retailers and restaurateurs, wholesalers and brokers from across the country, as well as the UK, Canada and Japan--who will attend the 15th annual Premiere tasting and auction," said PNV 2011 Chair Michael Honig of Honig Vineyard and Winery.

"This continues to be the must-attend event for the wine trade each year. It raises money for our trade association's work to promote and protect the Napa Valley appellation, but more importantly, the event provides the opportunity for the best networking event anyone could ask for. All under one roof at The Culinary Institute of America in St Helena will be hundreds of winemakers and winery owners pouring their offerings to the 200+ wholesale wine accounts represented by the attendees," said Honig.

"Selling out four weeks in advance of the tasting and auction is a clear signal of the demand for Napa Valley wines, as well as the recognition of the value of networking and relationship building that PNV provides. What we always understand in Napa Valley is that building and maintaining personal relationships with the top accounts that attend Premiere is integral to our success in the market," said PNV steering committee member Jeff McBride of Stag's Leap Wine Cellar.

"Premiere Napa Valley is where winemakers get to have a 'gloves off' approach to what they make," said PNV steering committee member John Skupny of Lang and Reed Wine Co. "These wines are ultra-boutique wines crafted in as few as sixty and never more than 240 bottle lots from 200 renowned Napa Valley wineries, each sold to one buyer like a restaurant or retail store, who then offers these wines to their savviest customers. So while the event is only for the wine trade, the product--the portfolio of Premiere Napa Valley wines-- provides wine consumers with not only truly one-of-a-kind wine, but some of the very best wines from the Napa Valley."

Consumers can see the wines offered as futures at www.PremiereNapaWines.com and engage their favorite wine retailer, whether in attendance or not, to purchase wines on their behalf. Another way for consumers to purchase these rare wines is by visiting the website after the wines have been sold at the February 26 event to see who will have them on their shelf or wine list.

Napa Vintners Receive Recognition for Historical Preservation and Environmentally Conscious Building Practices

The Napa Valley Vintners (NVV) has received more accolades for historic preservation and environmental leadership for its transformation of the once-ghost Jackse Winery to its headquarters.

The NVV was awarded the 2010 Preservation Design Award from the California Preservation Foundation for its Jackse Winery project. The old winery became the 67-year-old trade association's first permanent home in the Napa Valley in 2010.

One juror commented, "I am always amazed at the falling down ruins that people choose to renovate. This is a perfect example of the insanity that possesses some people. I am pretty good at looking at buildings and seeing what's possible but this one eludes me. All I can do is stand and applaud."

"Bringing back this historic 1905 all-wooden winery in the heart of the Napa Valley to a LEED-certified headquarters for our association is a dream come true," said NVV Executive Director Linda Reiff. "We have been working diligently toward finding a permanent home for our group for nearly fifteen years and when we were able to purchase the abandoned winery and preserve some of our region's history, it made perfect sense."

"Winning the award for Large Rehabilitation category alongside such other wonderful preservation projects in California is an honor," said Bob Torres of Trinchero Napa Valley winery who chaired the NVV's office building committee. Honored along with Jackse Winery in St Helena are: Hollywood Bungalow Courts, Hollywood; Pisgah Village, Los Angeles; Richmond Memorial Civic Center, Richmond; Tahoe Fish Hatchery, Tahoe City; Walker House, San Dimas; and Walt Disney Family Museum, San Francisco

The Preservation Design Award was presented at a reception and awards ceremony at the exclusive Getty Villa in Malibu. The California Preservation Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization

National Recognition for the Jackse Project
The National Trust for Historic Preservation recognized the preservation of the Jackse Winery in the January 2011 issue of Preservation Magazine in an article titled "Greener Grows the Valley," along with other outstanding preservation projects in the renowned Napa Valley like Beringer Vineyards' Rhine House and the Charles Krug Winery. Photographed by National Geographic photographer Charles O'Rear, a Napa Valley resident, the article applauds the wine region for its care in preserving important landmarks from the past.

"We are delighted to be included in the historic preservation of the Napa Valley's history while paying keen attention to industry-leading green practices along the way to ensure the highest standards are in place," said NVV Board President Kathleen Heitz Myers.

The Napa Valley Vintners was an early-adopter and one of the first to be recognized as a Bay Area Green Business in the San Francisco Bay Area. The ghost winery and association headquarters has been LEED-certified, silver level, for its high environmental standards.

"All of this is in complement to the green standards we have adopted in the vineyards and wineries of the Napa Valley," Heitz Myers continued. "Napa Green Certified Land and Winery programs are the wine industry's most comprehensive farming and wine production initiatives that are the best in the country. I'm proud of our industry's achievements and feel that the association headquarters mirrors that philosophy we have in our industry."

About the Jackse Winery/Napa Valley Vintners project
The 1905 Jackse Winery in St. Helena is one of the few remaining wood-framed winery buildings in St. Helena's main business district. While the building is significant, Stephen Jackse's unusual arrest for bootlegging during Prohibition is what really distinguished him and his winery in Napa Valley.

The winery was adapted for use as the permanent offices of the Napa Valley Vintners. The contrast between the aged, rustic character of the winery with the new materials of the addition was carried throughout where aged siding contrasts with the contemporary interiors.

Report from the Road: Michael Honig & Taste Napa Valley NY

I arrived in New York yesterday after a few very cold days in Toronto. As I started to relax in the cab from the airport to the hotel, the video screen started and there was an ad promoting the fact the Napa Vintners Vintners were in the Big Apple. Talk about a captive audience! In every city cab with a TV screen, thousands of New Yorkers were hearing about Napa and the fact that we are in town and ready to rumble.

When I arrived at the trade tasting at an hour early, there were already buyers clamoring to get in. Stacey and Linda of the NVV were trying to hold them off until all the vintners arrived, but there were a few tense moments :-) Once the doors swung open, the room filled up and everyone was happy. I saw many top buyers from New York, but New Jersey and Connecticut were also well represented. There were also many press people and the Wine Spectator was filming segments for their website. The three hours were a blur and the time flew by so fast that I was never able to try any other wines or even get a bathroom break!

Last night about twenty vintners did a tasting with our partner Lexus. It was a well attended event that Lexus had marketed to their car buyers. This is a great demographic and I noticed that many of the guests were in their late twenties to early thirties, which is the perfect target audience for our wines. Today I am off to do a focus tasting on Premiere Napa Valley wines at Per Se and then a late night tasting at Landmarc.

Should be another great day showing New Yorkers why Napa rocks!!

Just Another Day in Paradise

This is my favorite time of year in the Napa Valley. Beautiful sunsets over the acres of vineyards changing colors from green to gold, with hints of red and brown. Once all the leaves hit the ground, you know the vines are peacefully sleeping, dreaming of the great vintages to come.

Underground in the cellar, all the VIADER wines have been pressed and moved to barrel to quietly undergo the usual secondary fermentation (malolactic). The only evidence remaining from the chaos of the harvest time is a great heap of grape must which will be taken to use in compost. Delia and Alan have tasted through the different lots and are looking forward to the further development of this enticingly aromatic and balanced vintage.

Amidst all this quiet, I can't stop thinking, finally we can have a social life! With the endless hours of harvest time coming to a close, I now see much more of my family (which is a good thing)! And at this time of year, we spend most of our time enjoying the "fruits of our labor" over dinner.

Happy holidays to all,

Janet Viader

sales & marketing at VIADER

I'm not dead yet! I feel happy...happy!

“What? Over? Did you say "over"? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!”
--John Belushi as Bluto Blutarsky, Animal House

A few weeks ago, after some heavy rains, a few bloggers and the media started to declare the Harvest of 2010 over. Fortunately for all of us, they couldn’t have been more wrong. It is somewhat hard to believe, but here I am, almost mid-November, with Cabernet still hanging out in the vineyard. Grape growing, heck, farming in general, after all is much like gambling.

So I handed him my bottle
And he drank down my last swallow
Then he bummed a cigarette
And asked me for a light
And the night got deathly
quiet And his faced lost all expression
He said, "If you're gonna play
the game, boy
You gotta learn to play it right

You've got to know
when to hold 'em
Know when to fold 'em
Know when to walk away
Know when to run
You never count your money
When you're sittin' at the table
There'll be time enough for countin'
When the dealin's done

Every gambler knows
That the secret to survivin'
Is knowin' what
to throw away
And knowin' what to keep
'Cause every hand's a winner
And every hand's a loser
And the best that you can hope for
Is to die in your sleep"
--The Gambler, Kenny Rogers

The Cabernet we left for now was “ok” by most standards a few weeks ago, but it
still needed more time to develop the incomparably beautiful color and intensity
of flavor that is expected of a Spring Mountain District Cabernet. After that
first rain, it was tempting just to go out and bring it in. After all, we were
already sitting looking at a “good hand”. The quality of this vintage has been
great, with intense colors and aromas…why not wrap it up early. After looking
hard at the long range forecast, we chose to “double down” and let it hang. Our
canopy still had mostly green leaves to it, so, we “let it ride”.

“Reverend, you've got balls as big as church bells.”
--Dabney Coleman as Jerry Caesar, Dragnet

Well, patience is definitely paying off. With temperatures at the top of Spring Mounain District in the upper 70s off and on the past week, and going into this weekend, more of the same, we have been dealt that magical fifth Ace into our hands. Sunday, we’ll start and finish our Petite Sirah (in all of 20 minutes…this is goes into a small wine club exclusive blend) and then move onto our Cabernet Sauvignon. Dad and I have observed no mildew in the vineyard, the sugars and acids are nicely balanced, and the color…did I mention the color? It’s been a long, drawn out harvest that definitely required careful farming and patience, but I believe, once it’s all in…in its own time…it is going to be a vintage to remember.

Until next time...

Cheers!

Andy Schweiger, Winemaker, Schweiger Vineyards

Follow me on Twitter: SchweigerWine

Fall 2010 on Spring Mountain!

Photo by Greg Wright

The 2010 grape harvest at Vineyard 7&8 officially finished on October 22nd with a fever pitch that many in the Napa Valley were also experiencing. It was a week of eighteen hour days, coordinating picks both on the Estate as well as from our growers on Spring Mountain, crews being pushed hard and fast.

Now that all the grapes have been happily fermenting away in tank, and the early morning picking days are behind us for another year, time now allows for reflection on the 2010 harvest.

While there is no denying the challenge of the weather this year, as our fruit came in this year, our Winemaker Luc Morlet and I continually looked at each other with satisfaction with the quality being received. We noticed much less shriveling than in years past, more moderate sugar levels, and a quality of tannin in the Cabernet both from our Estate vineyard and growers vineyards on Spring Mountain that was superb.

Originally we had thought our yields would have had to be down overall compared to last year due to the amount of thinning we did in the vineyard around veraison, but the finally tally shows us actually being about even if not slightly higher. There were some vineyards where we noticed yields being down almost 40% but others where the crop was significantly higher than last year.

Photo by Greg Wright

Now as the fermentations near completion, we continually taste for the right moment to drain the individual tanks to barrel to begin their nearly 2 year life of aging.

With the holidays approaching, and the days growing shorter, we are pleased to say the harvest on Spring Mountain this year was a great success, and should deliver another vintage of premium quality wines not only from Vineyard 7&8, but from our friends and neighbors as well!

Cheers!


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

"Rollin' with the Puncheons"

Good Afternoon All,
It has been almost three weeks since I was able to take the time to sit down and give everyone an update on how things are going this harvest. My apologies for being incommunicado but my lack of correspondence is a reflection of how busy the wine production staff has been the last 20 days. Since my last update we processed 108 tons of red fruit here at Round Pond Winery and 40 tons at our custom crush facility. On October 19th we broke the RP record for tons processed in a day by crushing 18.7 tons. We smashed that record the next day by processing 30.2 tons. I am sure that you are all aware that the rains that we had during this period played a large roll in necessitating this frantic schedule.


This year was somewhat of a déjà vu experience from last year in that we encountered two large rain events back to back. The vineyard and winery team learned a few lessons from last year on how the fruit would respond to two such rains so we picked out blocks according to fruit ripeness and the ability of some of the Cab grape clusters to hang through the rains. I think that we played the hand that we were dealt perfectly and achieved the best possible quality out of the vineyard that was attainable this year.


2010 will be the first year that we have made Malbec and Petit Sirah at the winery. I will use these as blenders but early tastings show these wines to be very interesting independently and we may do some small varietal bottlings of these. The Petit Verdot, which always impresses me, has done so again this year. I imagine that I will use a healthy dose in both our Estate Cab as well as the Reserve Bovet Cab. Currently the Sauvignon Blancs are finishing fermentation and they also taste great.



Cheers,

Brian Brown
Winemaker

Napa Valley Harvest Nearly Complete

Last week the Napa Valley Vintners (NVV) and the Napa Valley Grapegrowers reported on the wine grape harvest to date at the annual report to media and trade held in San Francisco. As of that time, with fewer than 10% of grapes remaining on the vine appellation-wide, winemakers across the region reported excellent quality and flavor in the developing wines of vintage 2010.

See the 2010 Harvest Report.

As predicted by the National Weather Service, a Pacific storm system brought anywhere from 1-5 inches of rain to the Napa Valley floor, and in even more in some higher elevation areas throughout the region. Working literally around the clock, winegrowers, by in large, raced to get the final push of grapes to the wineries. Most vintners are reporting as of this week that their grape deliveries are complete.

Some hillside districts, which account for a fraction of the region's overall production, are either bringing in their final tonnage between this week's storms, or are riding it out awaiting the break predicted for later this week and into next week. The goal is to achieve optimal ripeness and have safe conditions in the field for crews to bring the grapes to the wineries.

"Interestingly we were in almost the similar pattern as 2007 and 2009 at harvest--heavy rains when the last of the hillside districts had some fruit remaining. We survived to make spectacular wines. There is a lot of Armageddon-like chatter out there, but still, from every winemaker I've spoken with, everyone is delighted with what they are tasting in these young wines--all across the board," said Bruce Cakebread of Cakebread Cellars whose family has a 38 year history in winegrowing in the Napa Valley.

Tom Ferrell, executive director of the Spring Mountain Appellation said, "Given that we're up on Spring Mountain, the rain we received last week was quick to run off and our grapes, smaller and tougher than those on the valley floor, stand up well to inclement weather. I've spoken with member wineries throughout the district and am hearing that winemakers are really encouraged about this vintage and excited about what they have in their tanks. Those still with grapes hanging are getting very close to picking."

Jac Cole, of Spring Mountain Vineyard, said "We're seeing great flavor development in what's left on the vine and have great anticipation about what we'll bring in over the next one to two weeks. This year is going to produce some really lovely, balanced wines."

Andy Schweiger of Schweiger Family Vineyards on the Napa-side of the county line said, "The grapes we've brought in thus far are looking fabulous. What's left on the vine is right on the cusp of being ready to pick. Looking at the long range forecast, over the next week or so we'll get 1-2 inches of rain and maybe some drizzle. Then we're looking at 70-80 degree days in early November, which will be just the little push we need to finish this year's harvest."

Wesley Steffans, of Spring Mountain District's Vineyard 7 & 8 Winery said, "We're actually finished with this year's harvest and to be completely honest, this vintage could be fantastic. We've seen less dehydration than in other years and wineries have been diligent in their crop load. Everything we've brought in is at moderate sugar levels and is tasting incredible. Even though it's been a difficult harvest, that doesn't mean that great wine can't be produced."

"Though every harvest has its challenges, we're savvy farmers and respond to what Mother Nature throws our way--if we thought it was going to be easy, I don't know how many of us would be in the business," Cakebread said.

At Trefethen, all the grapes are off the vine!

This past Tuesday, October 26th, we picked the last of our grapes at Trefethen Family Vineyards. Of course, the work of Crush 2010 is hardly over given the number of active fermentations we have right now. But, there is a perceptible sense of relief all around the winery. We are relieved not just because we are done picking but because we are thrilled with the young wines.

This morning, we tasted through some of the Chardonnay lots that are already dry. See photo of winemaker Zeke Neeley and winemaker emeritus Peter Luthi. The acids seem nicely balanced and the range of aromatics is fantastic. Many other lots, both white and red, are still fermenting.

There was one Petit Verdot lot that was ridiculously tannic, a good reminder of the major effect this “minor” variety will have on a blend. The Malbec lots are, as usual, inky in color and very fruity. Cabernet seems to have exceptional color this year, ripe black and red berry flavors and ample tannins.

It was certainly an exciting, and exhausting, vintage in the vineyard but it’s great to see that our hard work paid off. In this mostly cool season, we paid particular attention to our Cabernet Sauvignon, a very noble but very late variety. After a May that was our coolest since 1977, we were concerned that we might be picking well into November. Wanting to wrap up sooner than that, we opted to thin the crop more aggressively than usual, down to under 2 tons per acre in some areas. The net result of our swift action and some beautiful weather in early October is that we got fantastic ripeness and finished picking a full ten days earlier than last year!


I have heard the saying “it takes a lot of beer to make a little wine” and I’ve certainly enjoyed a lager or two over the past couple months. That said, when I went home Tuesday night after our last pick, I opted for a glass of our 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon and believe you me, it had never tasted so good!

If you are in the Napa area this weekend, come on by our winery for some frightfully delicious wines as well as haunted winery tours. Our 19th century winery is all decked out for Halloween. Come check it out!

Cheers to vintage 2010!

Jon Ruel
Director of Viticulture and Winemaking
Trefethen Family Vineyards

2010 Napa Carneros Chardonnay Harvest with Armando Ceja

2010 Vintage Exceeds Expectations for Martin Estate

The photos above show Martin Estate’s full-time winemaker, Frederic Delivert, hammering out the top of the last new French oak fermentation barrel here at the estate.

Yes, Harvest season is in full swing at Martin Estate and as Frederic observes the small bins of grapes being walked into the cellar every morning, he gets more and more excited about the quality of his 2010 vintage.

“I’m truly thrilled with the actions we took this season,” Frederic says.

This is great news for a Napa Valley growing season that proposed challenges for some vineyards. What did Martin Estate do differently to take its 2010 vintage to the next level?

In January, Frederic made the decision to prune his vines ahead of the normal schedule to encourage an earlier budbreak, flowering and veraison. While early pruning risks exposure to frost, as Frederic says, “we have all the state-of-the-art tools here at Martin Estate – a wind machine that acts like a custom overhead heat fan and extensive sprinkler systems – to protect our vines from low temperatures.”

Two other key decisions took place during the growing season. First, because the 2010 season experienced abundant rain until almost June, Frederic allowed the natural grasses growing between the rows to flourish. These grasses soaked up extra moisture in the soils, which ensured the grapes still struggled early in the season to find deeper, natural water sources.

And, when the early summer in the Napa Valley remained wet and cool, ripening and veraison occurred slowly – but was right on target at Martin Estate due to this pro-active approach. Some vintners decided to open their leaf canopies early to allow extra sunshine to speed their veraisons. Frederic, however, was content with the long, slow and even ripening process and his second key decision was to allow the Martin Estate vine leaves to remain thick and heavy. When several heat waves struck the Napa Valley late in the season, Martin Estate’s plump, healthy grape bunches remained protected from sunburn by the cool shade of their canopies. “I knew you could always remove the leaves,” Frederic says, “but once removed, you wouldn’t be able to put them back on.”

As with every Martin Estate vintage, Frederic worked with vineyard manager Josh Clark to green harvest the vineyard just as veraison, the period where the sugars really develop and the grapes go from green to purple, occurred. This ensured that the grapes were perfectly, uniformly ripe. Frederic and the vineyard crew have started arriving before daybreak and are hand-picking every block into small 30-pound bins, which are carried into the winery for hand-sorting.

Now, as a mild, 70 to 80-degree semi-Indian Summer sets in on the valley, Frederic sighs with delight. Soon all the grapes will be fermenting in individual lots in French oak casks, small, brand new French oak barrels and custom-designed concrete tanks. Then each lot, which is fermented separately, will go into 100% French oak barrels, where the wines will refine and age for up to two years before bottling. Frederic will continue to hover over every barrel, sampling each lot throughout the year to monitor the wines’ progress. But with such great fruit, he anticipates nothing short of a stellar vintage for 2010.

In like a lamb, out like a lion!

We have been waiting patiently for harvest to kick into full swing, and this week it has. As of this morning, Raymond has harvested approximately 60% of total tonnage. The Raymond crew is putting in long hours, and our sorting table is clocking in 14 hours a day. In the cellar, our "dream team" comprised of Sabino, Joel, Adam and Russell are busy preparing tanks. With 46 red fermenter tanks, and a turnover rate of 2.25 times per tank, last year the team drained and pressed 100 tanks.

Yesterday, we harvested 22 tons of organically-farmed estate Merlot at 23.5 Brix, our first estate red grapes to be picked this year. The vines were planted in the mid 1990s by the Raymond family, and continue to be the primary sourcing for our Reserve Selection and District Collection Merlot wines.

Cuvaison Estate Wines sorting 2010 Pinot Noir on new state-of-the-art Pellenc Vision

Watch a short video of Cuvaison Estate Wines sorting 2010 Pinot Noir on the brand-new state-of-the-art Pellenc “Vision.

This de-stemmer/sorter machine features a high speed camera that sorts roughly 1000 berries per second. The winemaker teaches the machine what to keep and what to get rid of, and it does so by learning the shape (round berries) and color (black berries), etc.

Then the machine excludes (through a well directed micro blast of compressed air) any berries or stems that are not wanted.

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Cuvaison Estate Wines
Brandlin Vineyard

"On the Road Again" with Michael Honig & the NVV

Just flying back after another great Napa Valley Vintners Taste Napa Valley Tour!

This week we stormed TX and OK with over 70 vintners pouring their wines to a mass of buyers and consumers. As usual, the staff did a great job putting the trip together and I kept hearing what great events the Napa Valley Vintners host.

The first event was at the Minute Maid baseball park in Houston. Not only was it a cool venue with lots of room, carpet on the floors (makes for less fatigue on the feet), but our guests were able to hit baseballs on the field - I don't believe that's something any other wine growing area has ever offered!

The next day we were off to Dallas and our tasting in the sky (actually the 42^nd floor) of City Center. The Dallas event was also very well attended and our guests were able to bungee jump of the building (well...maybe next time we will offer that experience). It was a great space and we had some of the top trade in attendance.

The finally day was Oklahoma City and the city rolled out the red carpet for Napa! The venue was the Cowboy Museum and it was a HUGE room - it seemed like the whole state joined the festivities! Oklahoma may not be the biggest wine market in the country, but they love Napa and made everyone feel like kings and queens. Not only did the vintners pour at the three tradeshows, but there were numerous consumer events that were very popular.

It was a amazing week and I think Napa was able to show Texas and Oklahoma why we are the best!

Michael Honig
Honig Vineyard & Winery

Journey of a Generations Grape

In 1994, the Raymond family introduced “Generations” into the market, a wine that quickly became an icon in the wine industry and remains the flagship of the winery today. “Generations” pays homage to the five generations of Raymond family winemaking that dates back to Roy Sr’s beginnings at Beringer Brothers. The wine is consistently 100% Cabernet Sauvignon that typically blends grapes from three key regions including Oakville, Rutherford, and St. Helena.

Today is not only the first day of harvest for Cabernet, it also marks the first day of harvest for the 2010 Raymond Generations Cabernet Sauvignon. This morning, grapes were picked at Grech Vineyard in St. Helena, an historical site for the winery. In 1981, Nuias Depina, one of Raymond’s first employees and current Cellar Master, tore out the existing vines in Grech Vineyard, so that Roy Sr., Walter, and Roy Jr. could plant their legendary Cabernet Sauvignon. To watch today's journey of a Generations grape, click on video below.