The roots of the Napa Valley

Two super-refined Cabernet Sauvignon from two opposing: Voltz Vineyard 2014 Charles Krug and Cask 23 2015 Stag’s Leap.

In Europe, when you talk about American wines and the Napa Valley, in particular, many so-called experts are diffident to say the least. The reality is that if there exists a Via Montenapoleone or Faubourg St. Honoré of wine this region risks being it.

Prestigious wineries, offering wines sold for hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars and many personalities from various business sectors, obviously also winegrowers, who have invested tons of money to produce great reds that are very international. They are for the most part made from Cabernet Sauvignon but also Merlot, Syrah and Zinfandel, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, more rarely from Riesling and more recently Sangiovese.

This is a rich region with star wines and restaurants, it is not by chance that the French laundry of Thomas Keller is here, and an extraordinarily efficient wine tourism organization. It a very particular area that has an hourglass shape with the southern part, bordering on the northern side of San Pablo Bay, cooler and wetter than the central and northern ones. The Napa Valley begins at Los Carneros, which is also part of the Sonoma Valley, and extends to the towns of Napa, Yountville, Oakville, Rutherford, St. Helena and Calistoga. The appellations, which in the United States are called American Viticultural Area (AVA), are Los Carneros, Mount Veeder, Oak Knoll, Yountville, Oakville, Stag’s Leap, Atlas Peak, Rutherford, St. Helena, Spring Mountain, Diamond Mountain, Howell Mountain, Wild Horses, Chiles Valley, Calistoga and Coombsville.

Quite a number for an area that is smaller than Chianti Classico. Since it is impossible cover everything in just one article, I have chosen to focus on two wineries that in certain ways are the opposite of each other. The oldest in the region is Charles Krug in St. Helena, which was founded in 1861 by Charles Krug (no relation with the famous Champagne Maison) and acquired in 1942 by Cesare Mondavi, who left it to his son Peter, the brother of Robert. The third and fourth generations of the family now run the estate and at its historic headquarters, where the vineyards alternate with forests of centuries-old trees, they produce excellently made wines that are extremely in line with the “territorial” standards of what is considered to be one of the hottest areas in the district. The great reds of 2014, which was an excellent year in Napa Valley, are all based on Cabernet Sauvignon with, in some cases, minimal additions of other Bordeaux varietals like Malbec, Petit Verdot and Merlot.Voltz 2014, made with grapes from vineyards in Yountville, is probably the most interesting for its surprising balance. But Cold Springs Limited Release is a close second.

A little less than 10km to the south is Stag’s Leap, a legendary estate in the district of the same name, which was founded in 1970 by Warren Winarski but for over ten years has been owned in partnership between Chateau St. Michelle, the famous Washington State winery, and Marchesi Antinori. Since 1974, they have produced the legendary Cask 23, a great red made only from Cabernet Sauvignon that over time has become an authentic icon of American wine. Vintage 2015 is sumptuous without an “baroque-esque” traits that are sometimes found in Napa Valley wines. The sugar residue is a little too evident, perhaps due to the stylistic characteristics the two partners have always opted for their wines and that they naturally sought even in this case. It is a great Cabernet with an international flair but extremely elegant, enough so to convince or remind those who though harmony was not in this area’s playbook.

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