Vinyard

Deep in the hidden wilderness of the southeast reaches of the Napa Valley lies Gordon Valley, almost a miniature version of the larger valley proper.  Our 2022 Petit Verdot is sourced from the AlphaWolf Vineyard, planted by resident and grower Bill Wolf, who first planted his property in 2000.  Having a northeast to southwest row orientation, these vines take advantage of longer sun exposure in a valley that sees a natural cooling influence from Lake Curry just to the north, allowing the fruit long hang time for maximum flavor development and complexity.  A sustainable Napa Green vineyard, the vines grow in sandy loam mixed with an ancient soil called Alaskan Humus, known for its large amount of beneficial fungi and bacteria.  While not made every year, this special Petit Verdot is meant to be savored for many years to come. 

 Vinification

The grapes are hand-harvested and gently crushed to retain 80% whole berries.  The free-run and press wines were kept separate; the resulting bottled wine is almost entirely from free-run wine.  Following fermentation, the wine went through malolactic fermentation in barrel.  The wine was aged in 100% French oak barrels (75% new) for 20 months and racked twice to naturally clarify the wine and soften the tannins. This limited bottling received no fining, and only a coarse filtration.

 Vintage Notes

The year 2022 was certainly an interesting ride!  The story of the year was the continued drought, which brought a rough start to the growing season, and challenging conditions to earlier vineyard sites.  It was another year of haves and have-nots, in which the growers with adequate well water were able to establish and ripen a decent crop, while others had no water, and struggled to keep vines healthy throughout the high demand of wine grape ripening.  This was exacerbated by excessive August and early September heat, including an unprecedented heat wave surrounding Labor Day weekend, with temperatures hovering in the 105 – 110°F range for well over a week.  The small crop size led to quick ripening, some fruit damage, and the warm nights were less than ideal for building concentration.  Then suddenly, the vintage showed a second face.  After the extreme heat of August, and little reprieve in September, a splash of rain and extended cooler conditions surfaced, to the point of difficulty in ripening the later Cabernet sites.  In summary, the success of the vintage came down to triage and prioritizing which fruit came in when, and in what order.  Overall, the small crop size gave us great quality in many sites, but also another year with little fruit.  Patience was a virtue with the later vineyards, which experienced gentle ripening until the rains we were all waiting for came to fruition.

 Tasting Notes

There isn’t much of a benchmark with which to hold a Petit Verdot against.  Not many wineries bottle Petit Verdot as a varietal wine, as it is generally most useful as a minor blending grape.  Given the quality and typicity of our 2022 wine, we decided to put a very small amount in bottle on its own. Wild berry and blue fruits dominate the nose, with the violet floral component the variety is known for.  Flavors follow suit from the aromatics, providing a mouth filling, flavorful wine that we like to call classy rustic.  The highlight of this wine is the remarkably creamy texture, where Petit Verdot can typically be very structured.  Dark-fruited and pure, the wine has a freshness atypical of the riper 2022 vintage.  Leaving a lasting impression, this wine should age well for at least a decade.