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Stags Leap AVA - Regusci Family Winery

Regusci Winery

Regusci Winery looks and feels like a farm. A scenic, pleasant, well-tended farm mind you, but this farm has thrived for over a hundred years. Regusci has 4 timeless ideals that help to retain their history and look into the future at the same time; Stewardship, Hard Work, Hospitality, and Family. You can feel those values emanating from the property when you visit. You’ll be treated like one of the family, and it may be difficult to tear yourself away-they’ve got the hospitality thing down.

Gaetano Regusci cashed in a life insurance policy and purchased the land during FDR’s Presidency, and 5 generations later this industrious family has worked tirelessly to sustain agriculture, dairy, livestock, and of course, wine grapes. 

In the 1960’s Angelo Regusci took over the farming from his father and added Bordeaux style grapes to the family’s plethora of agriculture, and in 1996 his son Jim introduced winemaking into the mix. The results are delectable, and I found it hard to believe that winemaking wasn’t their original endeavor.

Our visit to the Winery included a sneak peek into their ghost winery cellar, and it was captivating. This one is the real deal-you can sense the history and passion for fine wine inside. They offer a Library Tasting for 100 dollars per person in their hidden barrel lounge, and I can’t imagine a more unique and authentic place to sip on rare wines from past vintages, from a family that is involved with each step of the winemaking process.

If you enjoy feeling a sense of timelessness, experiencing genuine warmth and hospitality, and really grasping the history and nuances of the wine you drink, make an appointment and visit Regusci Winery. You’ll feel like one of the family when you leave. Make sure to take with you a bottle of their 2016 Brave Night Red Wine, “Bottled in remembrance of the Napa Valley’s Atlas Peak Fire in October of 2017, Brave night represents the strength and camaraderie of the Regusci Winery friends and family who helped protect Regusci Ranch from the swallows of the fire that evening.”www.regusciwinery.com - Lea Gourley

Stags Leap AVA - Napa

Stags Leap AVA is the AVA that put Napa on the map. These are the grapes that made California Cabernet world famous. If you’ve ever tasted a Cabernet from Napa that rocked your world, there’s a good chance it came from somewhere within the Stags Leap AVA.

Stags Leap History

According to an old Wappo Indian legend, a huge stag once escaped from hunters by leaping from one mountain peak to the next. I happened to be staring at those two peaks when I was told this story, and it honestly gave me a little thrill to picture it. The peaks are like something out of a fairy tale, and it was easy to visualize an enormous stag leaping majestically from one mountain to the next.

In 1961 Nathen Fay planted some Cabernet grapes on his property, later called Fay Vineyard. He went on to sell those grapes to Heitz Cellars, and they named the wine “Fay Vineyard”. Warren Winiarski (Stags Leap Wine Cellars) described Joe Heitz as “the first to grasp the single vineyard concept”.

But here’s where the story gets juicy. On May 24, 1976, several upper echelon wine judges from France sat for a blind tasting of some of the best French wines against several unknown California wines. Steven Spurrier organized the event hoping to draw business to his Parisian Wine Shop. It’s safe to bet that everyone in attendance assumed the French wines would win (including the judges), but that day took an unexpected and historical turn. 

Both the Napa, California Chardonnay and Cabernet beat out the French wines! Once it was clear that the California wines had won, one of the judges actually attempted to get her scorecard back- she couldn’t believe the wines she judged so highly weren’t French! But the results were in, and California had made a respectable name for itself in the wine world-just like that!

That day is now referred to as The Judgement of Paris, and a bottle of each of those wines, a 1973 Chardonnay from Chateau Montelena, and a 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon from Stags Leap Wine Cellars now sits in the Smithsonian…how cool is that?!

Stags Leap Soil and Climate

The soil around Stags Leap AVA is volcanic. This stresses the vines, yielding minimal grapes; the grapes possess power and intensity, but are also soft and elegant. This combination of intensity and elegance is what trademarks the wines from Stags Leap AVA. This volcanic soil doesn’t hold water very well, which is why so many wineries around here rely on irrigation. 

The climate here is cooler than most of the other AVA’s in Napa County because of its high elevation and close proximity to San Pablo Bay. The air gets cooled down while passing over Carneros, acting sort of like an air conditioner. 

Stags Leap Grapes

It’s all about the Cabernet here! Or at least, that’s what Stag Leap is well known for. You’ll also find some crisp, floral Chardonnays as well as Pinot Noirs with aromas of dark cherries and bright berries.

The next time you come across a bottle of wine from the Stags Leap AVA, raise a toast…for these are the grapes that put California, Napa Valley in particular, in the running for the title of Best Wines in the World.  - - Lea Gourley

Wild Horse AVA - Napa

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

 

Howell Mountain, Napa - Clif Family

Clif Family

If you’re spending the day cruising around the Howell Mountain wineries and are looking for a place to have lunch, chances are you will have a difficult time finding a spot…unless you know of this hidden gem. Where to even begin…I’ve visited close to 400 wineries in my career, and the experience I had here stands out above them all. Why? If you like superb wine, healthy/organic/tasty food, good business practices, ethical decisions and believe in the integrity of humanity…then this is your place. 

You may be familiar with the Clif Family name because you’ve probably seen their parent company Clif Bars in your travels, an all-natural energy bar popular amongst bicyclists-but those bars are just a teaser of what they have to offer. 

Gary Erickson and Kit Crawford discovered the sublime combination of bicycling, food, wine and hospitality in Italy, and resolved to bring these experiences home with them to Napa County. They moved to Howell Mountain and began creating their own wines. In time they established their food truck The Bruschetteria, which paved the way for the food and wine pairings that I was fortunate enough to experience this week. And I can’t stop thinking about it. I have visited the winery/tasting room numerous times and each time I am greeted with the warmest, most sincere hospitality. So much so that the first time I visited I signed up with the wine club and bought Gary’s book, Raising The Bar.  Gary and Kit are true entrepreneurial leaders. While developing the company they did not sell out to the status quo but instead listened to the inner voice. In this day and age, it’s rarity to find. 

My experience began with being greeted by Tom Inners with a glass of Chardonnay. I enjoyed it as we strolled through the vineyards and discussed their all organic farming practices. Most of their produce comes from their own farm, and I later got to taste the results in the form of a delectable Firecracker Kale Salad with toasted coconut, seeds, and Clif Family Maple Curry Cashews & Peanuts, Mary’s Organic Roast Chicken w/ Rosemary oil and lemons & Mixed Bean & Zucchini vegetable side with lemon aioli and hazelnut dukkah paired with 2016 Kit’s Killer Howell Mountain Cabernet & 2016 Cold Springs Estate Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. 

You can enjoy lunch with a full tasting experience. They offer a $40 chicken or vegetable lunch (this does not include the wine pairing), or $60 for the steak option. 

The house/ outdoor dining area where the tasting takes place was built in the 1930’s, and it is utterly charming. Nestled in the peaceful nature that is Howell Mountain, it’s impossible to not just put your worries aside and immerse yourself in this thoughtful and exquisite food and wine experience. If you have to choose just one memorable food and wine pairing while in Napa County, I believe this should be on your list. - Lea Gourley/Dandy Noel

“We’re working to run a different kind of company: The kind of place we’d want to work, that makes the kind of food we’d like to eat, and that strives for a healthier, more sustainable world-the kind of world we’d like to pass on to our children”

Howell Mountain, Napa - A Taste of Howell Mountain

Once you’ve met and fallen in love with the wines of Howell Mountain, you’ll probably want to keep coming back for more. Once a year you have an opportunity to experience wines from over 40 different Howell Mountain wineries, many of which don’t even have tasting rooms, making it even more of a treat.

Taste of Howell Mountain takes place at the Charles Krug Winery in St Helena each June. It includes world-class wine tastings with gourmet food pairings, live music, and a silent auction that benefits the Howell Mountain Education Foundation. 

The event was sold out this year, and next year will fill up fast too, so get your tickets ahead of time! 

In November there will be a Howell Mountain Harvest Celebrationat The Lincoln Theater in Yountville.  Tickets include wine tastings from over 20 Howell Mountain wineries with food pairings, assorted artisan cheeses, charcuterie, seasonal fruits, nuts, olives and Bouchan breads. There is live music to listen to as you savor these spectacular wines.

If you can’t make it this year, plan ahead for next year and get your tickets ahead of time at a discounted rate!

Mark your calendar for the Howell Mountain Bud Break Celebrationin San Francisco at the Presidio. This one includes world-class wines from about 30 wineries, and you can taste and purchase the wines on site-the only time of year you can do so! This one takes place in March, so get your tickets now and don’t miss out!

Howell Mountain wineries produce some of the biggest boldest Cabernets from California. Many of their wines are difficult to find, and these events are a rare opportunity to savor and get to know some wines that you won’t find in your local grocery store, or even your specialty wine shop. Cheers!– Lea Gourley