Frog’s Leap - Organic stewardship of terroir in Rutherford
Farmer John (winemaker/proprietor John Williams) of Frog’s Leap strives to be a “thoughtful steward” of the environment and his vineyards and has made that commitment by being completely sustainable and CCOF-certified, from the LEED-certified buildings and solar panels on the property, to pioneering organic viticulture in the Napa Valley region since 1988. Williams makes the very same wine from grapes he planted himself decades ago and sees the growth cycle from the perspective of the vine, knowing that nourishing the earth it lives in is of the most importance. Planting cover crops such as alfalfa and mustard between the vines and keeping an organic garden around the perimeter of the vineyard promotes biodiversity not only with minerals, bacteria, and critters in the soil, but also attracts the right flora and fauna found naturally in the Napa Valley ecosystem which can help fight pests and disease. He is a master of dry-farming and believes the vine’s struggle for water matched by the moisture-retaining organic nature of the soil will result in more complex wines. Because he wants to let the terroir speak for the wine, Williams is conscious of the effect of alcohol on taste, so he strives for a finished product with a lower ABV by picking when the grapes are physiologically ready, not before, not after. Hence, the wine speaks not only of balance between terroir and flavor, but also of harmony between the wine and the environment.
Here, sauvignon blanc grapes are being loaded into the destemmer, where the free-run juice is pumped directly into stainless steel to chill then be inoculated.
Hops are just one of the many different plant species growing on the Frog’s Leap property. Chickens and roosters, dogs and cats, hummingbirds and bumblebees tomatoes and squash all make up the unique biodiversity of this Rutherford environment.
