Napa Valley Flashcards
Napa’s size in comparison with Bordeaux?
Napa is roughly one-eighth the size of Bordeaux and produces less than 0.5% of the world’s wine. That equals about 4% of California’s total output but, due to the high value of the wines, 25% of the state’s annual wine revenue
Name some of the biggest wineries of Napa
E&J Gallo winery, followed by Beringer, Beaulieu Vineyard, Duckhorn and Martini, are considered large by international standards; the majority are quite small, producing less than 10,000 cases of wine each year
Which is the first vintage of Harlan?
1990
Which was the first single vineyard wine of Napa and its first vintage?
The now iconic Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon was the first wine in Napa Valley to be labelled with a vineyard designation, and has been ever since the inaugural vintage of 1966
When was the first vines planted, where, from who and which varieties?
Vitis vinifera and formal viticulture made their way to California in the 1770s, when the state was under Spanish control. The first non-native vines were Listan Prieto, a grape also known as Palomino Negro that was brought to the New World via the Canary Islands. These vines were initially planted near the San Diego mission at some point after its 1769 founding. From there, the Spanish spread up the coast, establishing Catholic missions as far north as Sonoma. These missions grew grapes for sacramental purposes, and the vines eventually came to be known as “Mission”
Who planted the first vineyard in Napa and when?
George Calvert Yount would go on to make vinous history when he planted Napa’s first vineyard, a small patch of Mission vines, in 1838 or 1839.
When was the Mexican-American War?
The Mexican-American War lasted from 1846 to 1848 and then was succeeded by the Gold Rush
Who established the first commercial winery in Napa that helped to shape its industry?
Charles Krug, a German native who would go on to start Napa’s first commercial winery in 1861, was among this initial wave of Europeans that helped shape the industry. Using a cider press borrowed from Agoston Haraszthy in Sonoma, Krug essentially acted as Napa’s first consulting winemaker, assisting local homesteaders in their efforts
Name some of the most important wineries that had been established in the late 1800s
Europeans, mostly of Italian, Swiss, and especially German descent, played important roles, establishing such foundational wineries as Inglenook, Fisher (now Mayacamas), Beringer, Italian Swiss Colony, and Schramsberg, which is famous for cultivating Napa’s first hillside vineyard. These are only a handful of the many wineries established in this era. By the end of the 1880s, less than 30 years after Krug launched his eponymous project, Napa Valley could boast of over 140 wineries and 15,000 acres under vine. These vineyards were not only plentiful but diverse, due to the pioneering efforts of figures such as Agoston Haraszthy, Joseph W. Osborne, George Belden Crane, H. W. Crabb, Gustave Niebaum, and Thomas Rutherford. These men looked beyond the Mission grape, actively importing and cultivating dozens of European varieties. Zinfandel, Riesling, and Cabernet Sauvignon were among the earliest success stories
When did phylloxera hit Napa?
Phylloxera assailed Napa’s vineyards in the late 1880s through the 1890s
Apart phylloxera what other reasons contributed to the decline of Napa in the 1800s?
WW1 (1914-1918) and Prohibition (1919-1933)
Premium varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, and Sauvignon Blanc were ripped out, and all but 1% were replaced with “shipper varieties.” By 1926, the composition of Napa’s vineyards was 40% Alicante Bouschet, 30% Petite Sirah, 16% Zinfandel, and 13% Carignan
Who shaped Napa’s wine industry post -prohibition?
the Russian exile André Tchelistcheff. Passionate about education and collaboration, Tchelistcheff elevated the quality standards not just at Beaulieu Vineyard but within the entire valley. He advocated for cleanliness and control above all and was among the first to explore the notion of terroir in Napa, suggesting that Pinot Noir and white grapes would fare better in the cooler south end of the valley, and red grapes up north. UC Davis also emerged as a guiding light around this time, devising the Winkler Index among other initiatives. Even the state of California intervened, establishing basic quality standards for bottled wine such as legal limits for volatile and total acidity.
Describe Napa’s indusrty in the 1930s to 1960s
Growth in the 1930s through the 1950s remained slow, with only a handful of wineries opening each decade. Along with the notable relaunches of Beringer, Beaulieu Vineyard, Mayacamas, and Inglenook, newcomers such as Stony Hill and Louis M. Martini graced the scene, and the Mondavi family transitioned into the fine wine sphere through the purchase of Charles Krug. During these decades, though some producers were crafting dry wines of note, fortified wines and massive blends with faux-European designations such as “Burgundy” and “Claret” made up much of production. Redwood and cement tanks were the fermentation vessels of choice, and any oak aging was typically done in used American oak bourbon barrels. Though there was improvement in controlled malolactic fermentation and temperature control, largely due to the work of Charles Krug’s Peter Mondavi and Inglenook’s John Daniel Jr. and George Deuer, modern equipment such as stainless steel tanks and French barriques wouldn’t arrive in Napa until the 1960s.
The rise of soda and fast food moved the collective national palate toward the sugary end of the spectrum. Dry wine sales wouldn’t overtake sweet wine until 1967.
Who made Judgement of Paris, when and which wines were awarded?
1976 Judgment of Paris. This famous event, arranged by British merchant Steven Spurrier to honor America’s 200th birthday, was a blind tasting held in Paris and graded by French judges. California wines, specifically the 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay and the 1973 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon, took home top marks
When did Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator launched?
In 1978 and 1979, respectively, the magazines The Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator were launched
When did Napa Valley AVA was delineated?
1981
When did European investments came?
The 1970s and early 1980s also saw the first real wave of European (specifically, French) investment, which provided further testimony to the quality potential of Napa Valley. Among others, Clos Du Val formed in 1972, Domaine Chandon in 1973, Opus One in 1979, and Domaine Carneros in 1987
When drip irrigation came to Napa?
The advent of drip irrigation in the late 1970s meant that more vineyard land could be cultivated
Which type of rootstock was used in the 1980s for phylloxera?
Many of the new vineyards planted during the 1980s had used AXR1 for a rootstock, which proved insufficiently resistant.
When did Cabernet Sauvignon became the main grape?
Cabernet Sauvignon overtook those of Chardonnay in 1992
Name some of the elite wine producers in the late 1980s to early 1990s
In the late 1980s and early 1990s and was epitomized by an elite group of micro-producers that included Dalla Valle, Screaming Eagle, Harlan, and Colgin. These wineries had in common a combination of scant production, extremely high prices, and polished, showy wines. The increasingly powerful American wine press adored them, and consumers went to great lengths to win the coveted spots on their mailing lists. Because their productions were so small, most of these wineries could not justify hiring a dedicated winemaker and instead relied on consulting winemakers, who became the rock stars of Napa Valley.
What style was favoured in the 2000s?
ripe, concentrated wines with smooth tannins and low acids from extended hang time
1997 warm and abundant vintage was favored by consumers
Describe Napa’s climate
Napa Valley’s climate is classified as Mediterranean, with long, dry, hot summers and cooler, wet winters. Physically, Napa is sandwiched between the ocean-influenced Sonoma County and the warmer, drier Central Valley. The wider, southern end of Napa Valley is close to the San Pablo Bay and its attendant fog and breezes. It’s this proximity that gives Napa its reverse temperature gradient, with the hottest areas in the north toward Calistoga and the coolest areas in the south.
Because Napa Valley is such a warm place, its dramatic diurnal swing is a huge part of what makes quality viticulture possible.Elevation affects the diurnal swing as well; higher up in the hills, the daytime temperatures are lower but the nighttime temperatures are higher, making for a smaller day-to-night shift than on the valley floor.
Rainfall moves in a similar pattern, with the highest levels at the north end of the valley and in the mountains. Summers are generally bone dry, with most rain falling between October and April, sometimes for a month at a time. Though the two mountain ranges—the western Mayacamas Mountains and the eastern Vaca Mountains—receive virtually the same amount of precipitation, the Mayacamas look verdant while the Vacas appear scorched. This is largely because the eastern-facing slopes of the Mayacamas enjoy the gentle morning sun while the western-facing Vacas bake in the afternoon heat
Soils of Napa?
The soils of Napa Valley are incredibly diverse, with over 30 distinct types that overlap and interweave, forming complex patterns. These soils evolved from Napa’s three basic bedrocks: Great Valley sequence, Franciscan Assemblage (or Franciscan Complex), and Napa Volcanics (also known as Sonoma Volcanics). The Great Valley sequence and Franciscan Assemblage are the oldest of the three and both formed between 80 and 140 million years ago. The former was created when the sand- and clay-dominant ancient seabed near the Sierra Nevada Mountains compressed over millions of years to create sandstone and shale, and the latter formed offshore as the Farallon Plate subducted beneath the North American Plate. Franciscan Assemblage is a term for a wide range of substrates formed by this action, as undersea volcanoes, marine substrate, and ocean crust were smeared together along the edge of the North American Plate. Then, only seven million years ago, after what we know as California had risen from the sea, volcanic vents opened in the ground, spewing lava and ash on top of the preexisting bedrock.
Volcanic material is present throughout the valley but concentrated along the Vacas and the Mayacamas north of St. Helena.
One critical development from a grapegrowing perspective was the formation of alluvial fans, sometimes referred to as Napa’s benches. These benches act as a transition point between rocky hillside vineyards and the fertile valley floor. They are created over a long period of time, as rivers, streams, and rainwater carry mountain material down the slopes. The larger, heavier items such as rocks and gravel accumulate closer to the mountain, while the lighter materials such as silt and sand travel further. The result is a gently sloping, gravel-rich, well-draining patch of earth that is uniquely suited to vine cultivation. Interestingly, in Napa Valley, most alluvial fans are located on the western foothills. This is due in large part to the fact that the valley floor slopes gently southward and westward.
