Napa Valley Wine

by Maggie Bernat Smith

Napa Valley is Napa Valley is Napa Valley. Unfortunately this is what the general consensus is when talking about the wines that come from here. But that is wrong and is comparable to saying that Chicago is the same wherever you go in this great city. Napa Valley is divided into 15 sub AVA’s (equivalent to neighborhoods in Chicago) with each “neighborhood” having its own personality, style, depth, longevity, and price tag. They range in prices from thousands of dollars to the low teens. So what is the difference between them? Take the fish they serve at Laurent Gras’ L20 compared to a fish fry at the local American Legion. Laurent buys and prepares fish that inspires and overwhelms people and changes the way they think about such a simple creature. The American Legion will buy the cheapest most basic fish that is edible and serves it in masses to the community; there is a price tag associated with each experience.

This is the same concept that goes along with Napa Cabs, Merlot, Pinot Noir and all wine that we consume. Take for instance the rugged terrain of the hillside or mountain fruit that comes with those higher price tags. There is limited space to plant vineyards up there, it’s more difficult to farm, these vineyards are generally hand picked and cared for because you can’t use machinery up there, you don’t get as many grapes per vine as you do in the valley so your production is lowered; however the grapes that you do get, and the wines that are produced from them, are the most tannic, structured, intense, concentrated, flavorful, has the longest ageing potential and arguably the best wines in the valley and therefore are priced higher.

If you buy one of these wines they are meant to be aged typically about 10 years before consumption. This lets those big tannins soften, flavors will develop and become more complex. It’s the equivalent to picking a flower before it has bloomed to enjoy it. Now if you want to enjoy your investment right away then buy a decanter and let it breathe for a couple of hours before consuming (just opening the bottle and letting it sit does nothing contrary to popular belief). The wine has to get out of that bottle and let oxygen hit most of it, that is why decanters have such large bases on them, its so the majority of the wine sees oxygen. This speeds up the ageing process and will show much more flavor then just pouring it into your glass, consuming it and wondering why you just paid all that money for this wine.

The reason that there are 15 sub AVA’s within the Napa Valley is that there had to be a proven difference between each area and that it will express itself in the wine (it’s what the French refer to as terroir). There is a flavor difference between a wine labeled Rutherford and one labeled Oakville. It’s up to us wine professionals to taste thousands of wines a year to really observe these differences and to pick up these flavors no matter how subtle and figure out the best value and which wine represents that region well (it’s a rough job). Since you probably don’ want to memorize each flavor and style profile each region or winery has just go into the smaller more boutiquey wine shops that are hands on, know their wine, and can advise you on the differences and pick out a special wine for whatever price and mood you may be in that day.

Stags Leap Napa Valley

by Maggie Bernat Smith

Since moving to Napa, I wanted to explore the different “neighborhoods” in the valley. In a previous article I had written about Napa, I compared it to different neighborhoods in Chicago. There are 15 sub AVA’s in Napa and I’ve decided to taste my way around them and compare notes and report back (I realize what a terrible life I have by the way). Yesterday I drove down the Silverado Trail which is off of the main highway 29. If you look to the east, Silverado Trail is the road right before the Vaca Mountains start to rise up. While traveling down this path, you will recognize the wineries that pepper both sides of the road are known for amazing quality. Wineries such as Clos du Val, Chimney Rock, Shafer, the list of historical wineries go on and on. If you are planning a trip to the valley and want to visit some of these places, I suggest calling ahead. A lot of these wineries are by appointment only and are in the pricier range for tasting (but worth the experience).

While grapes were planted in the valley mid-1800’s, the focus was not on European varietals (Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay – basically all the wine we drink and know today,) there were missionaries from all over settling here and planting their native grape varietals. Although this was a time when it was discovered that Napa’s volcanic soil was ideal for grape growing, it wasn’t till the 1960’s and 1970’s where the global recognition came and was hailed as a top quality growing region for Cabernet and Chardonnay. The infamous 1976 Paris tasting (see the movie Bottleshock) was a huge turning point to get not only California noticed but also the Stags Leap district. As you may know a snooty Englishman who had a snooty wine shop in Paris wanted to increase his sales of French wine so he organized a blind tasting pitting our relatively new California wines against the best wines of France. Well history was made, nine French judges awarded first place to the 1973 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon over first growth Bordeaux such as Mouton-Rothschild and Haut Brion and guess what ten years later when exactly the same wines were tasted a second time, the winner was yet another wine from the Stags Leap District: the 1972 Clos Du Val Cabernet Sauvignon!

So tasting my way through this historical district I came across mainly Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. The Cabernet’s while they all tasted different, each winemaker puts their own stamp on the outcome, were very soft and elegant. I didn’t see the harsh tannins that you can find when tasting in this price range (Stags Leap wines generally are around the $75 price point). I tasted mainly the 2007 current releases which is what you will find in the stores right now. The wines from Stags Leap seemed to have a lot of expression and were really enjoyable at such a young age. Although ageing them for 5 years would be my recommendation you certainly don’t need to. I saw generally dark fruit notes (plum and black berry) with mocha, tobacco and were elegantly spiced. I am seeing more French oak on these wines then traditional American which is more subtle and not overpowering on the palate. I especially loved the Chardonnay’s I tasted, again the movement away from American oak is such a happy change for me. They are much more Burgundian in style (soft and dreamy). I am hoping people will revisit Napa Chardonnays, they are not what they used to be (at least in Stags Leap, I’ll update you on my travels to what I find). When looking for wines in the stores from Stags Leap, go to the Napa Valley wines, they will be labeled Stags Leap if at least 85% of the grapes come from that district. Happy drinking!