Don't Fear the Grape

Continuing our discussion on Cabernet Sauvignon. Most notably Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Located 55 miles northeast of San Francisco, Napa Valley produces only around 5% of all of California’s wine.

The early 1840s recorded the first wines produced in Napa Valley by George C. Yount. Commercial wineries popped up twenty years later:

• Charles Krug: 1861
• Schramsberg: 1862
• Beringer: 1876
• Inglenook: 1879

André Tchelistcheff and Brother Timothy are generally credited with ushering in the modern era of winemaking in California in the 19oos. André introduced several new techniques and procedures to the region, such as aging wine in small French Oak barrels, cold fermentation, vineyard frost prevention, and malolactic fermentation. Brother Timothy established Christian Brothers as one of the leading brands in the state’s budding wine industry.

Following the Second World War, the wine industry in Napa began to thrive again. In 1965, Napa Valley icon Robert Mondavi broke away from his family’s Charles Krug estate to found his own winemaking operation in Oakville. It was the first new large scale winery to be established in the valley since before prohibition.

The 1976 blind tasting, known as the The Judgment of Paris, pitted California wines vs. classic French wines. The 1973 Stags Leap Wine Cellars won best of show in the Cabernet wine category and the 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay won best of show in the Chardonnay category beating the best of Burgundy.

Today Napa Valley features more than 700 wineries that grow many grape varieties including Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Zinfandel, and other popular varietals. While some winemakers produce wines from specific AVAs within the valley, the majority choose to blend or cuvée their wines using a mixture of wine from grapes grown on the valley floor.

Trivia:

1. What was the first $100 bottle in Napa?
2. What year did Napa become an official AVA?
3. What was the first official Bordeaux Blend in Napa?
4. What AVA is in Napa and Sonoma?
5. What is Napa Valley’s most expensive wine?

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