The entire lineup of Mountain Cabernet was incredibly wonderful, and not only did we get the opportunity to hear the winemakers speak of their wines, but also taste the difference between terroir of the different mountain appellations. Many people joke about having ‘terroir’ and ‘Napa Valley’ in the same sentence, but these regions are all very different. In the southeast, Atlas Peak receives huge amounts of afternoon sun and has temperatures moderated by the cool air streaming in from the San Pablo bay, which hits the southern valley first. With so much sun, the fruit here ripens fully and exhibits lush flavors with many red fruit notes. Howell Mountain on the other hand, very far up in the northeast valley, also gets much afternoon exposure but the cool air funnels up the mountain, making it one of the coolest growing regions in Napa- giving it a very long growing season as grapes mature under bright sun but in cold air. These wines are spicy, full bodied, with black fruit. Diamond Mountain has a completely opposite aspect, getting only the morning sun and becoming warmer from the hot air pushing up from Calistoga as its being displaced by the air rushing in to cool Calistoga and Howell Mountain. Temperatures will be warmer on these mountain sides in the evening than the valley floor. Diamond Mountain, like Spring Mountain, is also heavily wooded and shaded, making the ripening season more dependent on the warmer temperatures than direct sunlight. Fruit here develops intense tannins. Early budbreak is common. Both of these AVAs exhibit fruit that is huge in tannin and meant to age. There is an herbal quality in both and lots of spice, the major difference being that Spring Mountain tends to have a herbaceous and mineral element that Diamond Mountain makes up for with brooding red fruit and power. Circling back down the Valley, Mount Veeder is known to be where mountainside wine production really started, as the Christian Brothers had a lot of influence here in the late 19th century. Made of mostly oceanic soils, resulting from tectonic plates shifting millions of years ago and raising the seabed to mountaintops, this is a cool region is above the fog line and gets plenty of late afternoon sun. These wines are black fruit driven and are incredibly fruit forward and floral.
Thanks to winemakers Chris Carpenter (Lokoya, La Jota), Danielle Cyrot (St. Clement), and Michael Karl Trujillo (Sequoia Grove, Karl Lawrence Cellars) for the tasting and info, and of course to Food & Wine Magazine’s executive editor Ray Isle for hosting.
