When people ask me what is my favoUrite wine region in the world, it’s easy to answer: Napa Valley, hands down. It’s always exciting to land in San Francisco, drive across the bridge and arrive in a valley full of gorgeous vineyards and hundreds of wineries.
The warm climate, Spanish architecture, palm trees and the laid-back character of the vintners is all part of the appeal. And then there are the stunning wines, which are among the very finest in the world. Cabernet Sauvignon is the signature wine of Napa, but the valley also produces outstanding Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Merlot, Chardonnay and, for me, the best sparkling wines outside of Champagne.
When you sing the praises of Napa Valley there’s usually someone who starts rolling their eyes. It is a wine region sometimes criticized for being pretentious, but nothing could be further from the truth. In reality, it’s been a struggle for most Napa wineries. It’s only in the last 25 years that they’ve really thrived and most owners couldn’t be more down-to-earth.
The history of Napa is fascinating because it’s a region that has shot to fame in a relatively short period. Winemaking there started in the latter part of the 1800s, during the gold rush. Italian and German settlers were the first to plant vine, using savoir faire gleaned from winemaking back in the Old World.
In the early 1900s the First World War put the brakes on their success, only to be followed by Prohibition, which almost decimated the industry. Only a handful of producers survived, using their licenses to make wine for sacramental and medicinal purposes. In the early 1960s there were less than 20 wineries and very few tourists ventured up to Napa.
With the late 1960s came a handful of adventurous new producers, led by one of the greatest figures in the history of wine, Robert Mondavi. And so the modern history of Napa began and the most successful wine region in the New World started gathering momentum.
The infamous Paris tasting in 1976 catapulted the region to fame, when Stags’ Leap Wine Cellars and Château Montelena won in a blind tasting against the finest wines from France. Americans finally started to realize that truly great wine could be made in Napa. Sales skyrocketed, prices increased and newcomers like Baron Philippe de Rothschild started ventures in the valley.
During the boom times of the 1980s, Napa suffered a major setback. Phylloxera, the deadly vine louse, destroyed most of the vineyards. Some vintners packed up and left, but others persevered and replanted using the latest viticultural techniques, focusing on just a handful of classic grape varieties.
There was a silver lining to the phylloxera disaster. Up until then most vineyards were planted with a mishmash of lesser known varietals, sometimes even in the same row. After the plague of pests, Napa started to build a cohesive brand around top quality Cabernet.
In the 1990s, the Napa vintners started to refine their understanding of the vastly different terroirs found in the valley. While it only takes about 45 minutes to drive from Carneros in the south to Calistoga in the north, the climate varies dramatically. The fog that rolls in off the bay in the summer shrouds the vineyards in the southerly part of the valley, making it cooler and better suited to early ripening varieties like Pinot Noir. Yet it is warmer going north up the valley around the quaint town of St. Helena, where the fog rarely reaches and burns off more quickly when it does.
It also became clear that the soils varied dramatically across the region. More than 33 different soil types have been identified, from the heavier clays in Carneros, to the red soils of Oakville and the shallow, hard, rocky soils found on the hillsides. Stylistic differences between the wines became obvious based on the different terroirs, and so Napa was carved up into dozens of American Viticultural Areas (AVAs), resembling the French appellation model.
The Napa hillside AVAs, especially those on Spring and Howell Mountains are excellent. The Cabernets produced there tend to have more tannic structure and less overt sweet fruit. AVAs like Oakville, Rutherford and Stags’ Leap also produce stunning wines that are rich, opulent, warm and generous, with blackcurrant, vanilla, chocolate and sometimes a minty character.
Although it’s a specialty, Napa isn’t just about Cabernet. In Carneros, Saintsbury and Cuvaison make some lovely Pinot Noirs and the sparkling houses of Schramsberg, Chandon and Domaine Carneros make some beautiful bubbly. While Sonoma has a reputation for the finest Zinfandels in California, there are also some beauties made in Napa. These are big, rich and ripe Zins with some baked characteristics and a slight jammy style to the fruit. For examples of this style, try Caymus and Storybook Mountain. Napa Merlot can be fabulous too. Duckhorn led the charge back in the 1970s and there’s no denying the wines are gorgeous.
Only a two-hour flight, it is actually possible to go to Napa Valley from Vancouver on a day trip and visit a handful of wineries. However, a long weekend will do the region more justice, combined with a stay at a fantastic hotel like The Villagio, dinner at The French Laundry, a hot air balloon ride, a trip to the spa, some time by the pool and two or three wineries each day. That is a very high-quality expedition so close to home!
Try these Napa Valley finds available in BC Liquor Stores (click on Where to Buy).
this favourite Zinfandel from Napa is a deep purple colour. the nose explodes with ultra ripe raisin and black cherry with some peppery notes. if you like full-bodied wine, then you won’t be disappointed with this classic.
A classic big, rich and buttery California Chardonnay, Mer Soleil is packed with tropical fruit, stone fruit and lavished with oak.
the Godfather’s house wine! Francis Ford coppola has built an empire in Napa and this is his Bordeaux-styled red. Perfect with steak.
Louis martini is one of the oldest Napa wineries. With a vast amount of vineyards to draw from they produce some of the best value Napa cabernets.
Domaine Chandon is the California operation of France’s Moët et Chandon. It’s a large producer of good value bubbly that is an excellent alternative to champagne.
Featured in TASTE Magazine, Spring 2012 issue.
The aromatic bouquet of this fantastic wine leaves you almost breathless. Soft peach, sweet honeysuckle and fragrant jasmine fill the senses. The juicy passion fruit, melon and white flower flavours are soft with a mouth coating, rich finish that lasts. Simply beautiful!
