Not many people have heard of the Wild Horse Valley AVA-it’s unlikely that you’ll find it on a Wine Country tourist map. It’s the smallest AVA in Napa County, but its terroir produces Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes that you should try to experience at least once in your lifetime.
Wild Horse Valley AVA History
The very first grapes were grown here in the 1880’s by Joseph Volpe and Contsantino Malandrino. Back in those days the area overflowed with wild horses, hence the name!
David Mahaffey purchased the 1,000 acre property in 1978, and he and John Newmeyer succeeded in establishing the AVA in 1988. John Lockwood joined forces with them in 2004, and now they bottle Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for Heron Lake Winery under the label Olivia Brion- the only winery located in the WHV AVA!
Olivia Brion was a suffragette and descendant of an esteemed French wine family. Olivia was quite the rebel and trailblazer. In 1905 she chopped her hair short, donned long pants, and raced a locomotive from Canterbury to Maidstone-and won! She was a popular woman. You can find some pretty steamy letters written to Olivia on the Heron Lake website-one of which is from our very own Jack London!
Wild Horse Valley AVA Climate and Soil
WHV is located in the Northeast foothills above Napa, and straddles both Solano and Napa Counties. Mahaffey refers to the WHV AVA as “a bit of an odd duck” because of its obscurity and location in between 2 counties. It gets pretty cold up there at 1400 feet, and there is a sign on the property that reads “Vitas Amat Colles”, which means “Vines love an open windy hill”. It’s above the fogline though, which provides ample sunlight on most days.
The southern end of this AVA is close to the San Pablo Bay, and benefits from its cooling temperatures, while the Northern ends tends to be much warmer.
It’s the soil that makes the grapes grown here so special though says John, “The soils are volcanic with pumice stones, and the subsoil is fairly rare.” This makes for aromas of cigar tobacco in the Pinot grapes, as well as a lot of minerality. The wines from WHV are nuanced, and very much a product of their terroir.
John and David pride themselves on farming techniques that respect the nature and the land. Their carbon footprint is light, partly a result of being completely solar-powered. They don’t use insecticides, and even provide habitat for beneficial insects! The end goal is to leave the land in better condition than they found it.
Wild Horse Valley AVA Grapes
Heron Lake Winery plants their grapes respectfully and carefully. They don’t produce mass quantities of wine, but every drop is superior quality, with respect to the land from which it comes. If sustainability, renewability, and respect for biodiversity are priorities to you (and we believe they should be!), then definitely consider hunting down a bottle or two of these incredibly special wines.
The 2014 Olivia Brion Pinot Noir gives off aromas of dark plum, wild cherry, rosewater and dried ginger. They consider it their pest Pinot since 2005.
The 2015 Olivia Brion Chardonnay is both pure and complex. The finish seems to go on forever, and it is served in some of the best restaurants in Napa Valley.
Even if you’re not as brazen or avant-gard as Olivia Brion, you can still experience a taste of her spirit with a sip of the wines she inspired! - Lea Gourley
