“In spring of 2003, after years of searching, husband and wife, Jeff Strauss & Mindy Schultheis purchased the former “Kitty Hawk” vineyards, 18 acres of vines planted in rocky hillside at an elevation between 900 & 1,100 feet on the East/South-East slopes of Mount Veeder. They began the task of restoring and replanting the vineyard and renamed the property “Longtable” in honor of their love of bountiful meals and celebrations with family and friends. The vineyard restoration and management has been carefully guided by Daniel Roberts, PhD, an expert in soils science and wine-grape viticulture.

 

2017 brought drenching rains, easing drought concerns throughout northern California.  Yountville got over twice as much rain than 2016, totaling over 50 inches; it was the third wettest rainy season in 100 years.  We waded out ahead of rising flood waters on February 7^th.  Spring was wet and cold, slowing bud-break to mid-March.  Following a slow-growth pattern of spring, June surprised us with hail, then turned up the heat - temps hovered in the 90s as the first of many sustained heat spells.  In the damp, soft soils of our vineyard, grass and weeds grew before our eyes, and we moved into a very hot July and August with extremely vigorous vine growth producing big, leafy canopies.  Twice as many hours of temperatures above 100 degrees wilted us in both months. Fortunately, several cooler swings of temperatures followed the extreme heat, allowing fruit to hang and continue ripening through September’s end and into October.  We carefully scheduled picking, often in the coolest hours approaching sunrise.  To cap the season, the recent October fires encircling Napa delayed the completion of harvest.  2017 will be very memorable indeed, beginning with a flood and ending in flames.

 

The grapes are hand-harvested and gently crushed to retain 40% whole berries.  The free-run and press wines were kept separate; the resulting bottled wine is almost entirely from free-run juice.  Following fermentation, the wine went through malo-lactic fermentation in barrel.  The wine was aged in 100% French oak barrels (65% new) for 26 months and racked twice to naturally clarify the wine and soften the tannins. With no filtration or fining, the wine was laid down in bottle prior to release.

 

The Longtable Vineyard, located on the coveted rugged terrain of Mt. Veeder, is proving to be one of the latest premium vineyards to be planted to on that mountain range, and is producing less than two tons of grapes per acre. Dark and intoxicating seems to be the signature of this vineyard. A tightly constructed powerhouse of a wine, the 2017 vintage is one you are going to want to decant for hours or bottle age it for a few years before enjoying. Black fruits dominate the palate with molasses, and savory soy notes. The texture is full and rich, the tannins grippy yet extremely fine. Dark and stately, a mountain wine at its finest. The finish is long, revealing lots of minerality and licorice. An exquisite wine from beginning to end.