Purlieu Wines

Purlieu means “the edge of the forest” or “an outlying area.” Directly, it is a reference to our home base in the new Coombsville AVA, at the edge of the forest and the entire Napa Valley. Symbolically, “purlieu” refers to our approach to winemaking, to exploring the outskirts and navigating the boundaries of what one may expect of a Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. For us, the key to successfully walking that edge lies in maintaining balance: between innovation and tradition, confidence and restraint, depth and refreshment. The Missouri Hopper Vineyard in Oakville has been owned by the Beckstoffer family since 1996. It’s namesake came much earlier in the 19th century when Charles Hopper gifted the property to his daughter, Missouri, who then planted a portion of the land under vine. It shines with rich heritage, history and produces exceptional, Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon and merlot. We have sourced from this location since 2014 and continue to make a rich, multi-dimensional wine that brings to light the exclusiveness of Napa Valley cabernet.

Purlieu means “the edge of the forest” or “an outlying area.” Directly, it is a reference to our home base in the new Coombsville AVA, at the edge of the forest and the entire Napa Valley. Symbolically, “purlieu” refers to our approach to winemaking, to exploring the outskirts and navigating the boundaries of what one may expect of a Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. For us, the key to successfully walking that edge lies in maintaining balance: between innovation and tradition, confidence and restraint, depth and refreshment. In Greek, To Kalon means “most beautiful.” Within the Napa Valley’s Oakville AVA, this vineyard is widely considered a “Grand Cru” of California. We get our fruit from Andy Beckstoffer, a legendary grower in the Napa Valley who owns a large portion of this prestigious vineyard. Our single vineyard designate will be released along with our 2011 wines under the Purlieu label. Each individual vine’s needs are uniquely tended to in To Kalon. The soil is mostly clay loam, which drains well and stresses the vines, thereby producing smaller and more concentrated grape clusters. The resultant wines are phenomenally rich, dense and powerful with an incredibly layered, silky texture; they are alluring in their youth yet always reward patient cellaring.

Purlieu’s sister label, Le Pich, gets its name from a Wappo Indian term meaning “golden eagle.” They are hunting birds, and you can often spot them above our vineyards as they soar, glide, circle and arc. They are beautiful birds — stately and impressive, but not haughty or boasting, with a nimbleness that’s inspiring. We hope that our Le Pich wines live up to the character of their namesake.

Purlieu’s sister label, Le Pich, gets its name from a Wappo Indian term meaning “golden eagle.” They are hunting birds, and you can often spot them above our vineyards as they soar, glide, circle and arc. They are beautiful birds — stately and impressive, but not haughty or boasting, with a nimbleness that’s inspiring. We hope that our Le Pich wines live up to the character of their namesake.

Purlieu’s sister label, Le Pich, gets its name from a Wappo Indian term meaning “golden eagle.” They are hunting birds, and you can often spot them above our vineyards as they soar, glide, circle and arc. They are beautiful birds — stately and impressive, but not haughty or boasting, with a nimbleness that’s inspiring. We hope that our Le Pich wines live up to the character of their namesake.

Purlieu means “the edge of the forest” or “an outlying area.” Directly, it is a reference to our home base in the new Coombsville AVA, at the edge of the forest and the entire Napa Valley. Symbolically, “purlieu” refers to our approach to winemaking, to exploring the outskirts and navigating the boundaries of what one may expect of a Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. For us, the key to successfully walking that edge lies in maintaining balance: between innovation and tradition, confidence and restraint, depth and refreshment. Located in the heart of Rutherford, Napa Valley, George III Vineyard was acquired by the Beckstoffer family in 1988. They replanted the vineyard using new cabernet clones and advanced trellising which increased both the quality and yield.

Purlieu means “the edge of the forest” or “an outlying area.” Directly, it is a reference to our home base in the new Coombsville AVA, at the edge of the forest and the entire Napa Valley. Symbolically, “purlieu” refers to our approach to winemaking, to exploring the outskirts and navigating the boundaries of what one may expect of a Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. For us, the key to successfully walking that edge lies in maintaining balance: between innovation and tradition, confidence and restraint, depth and refreshment. A small vineyard in the Coombsville AVA, providing beautiful fruit for our Purlieu and Le Pich Cabernets. We also source grapes from the best vineyards elsewhere in Coombsville— including Meteor, Caldwell, and Blue Oak. The Coombsville AVA — the newest (and arguably most exciting) AVA in the Napa Valley — benefits from a climate that is greatly influenced by the San Francisco Bay. On average, the days here are seven to ten degrees cooler than in St. Helena, just a few miles northeast. This means that the Coombsville growing season is much longer, so the grapes are allowed to ripen more slowly and evenly, translating to beautifully nuanced and expressive aromas in the finished wines. There are two distinct soil types in Coombsville: The first contains colluvium deposits that are reddish brown; here, the Cabernet grape shows off its spicier, more structured side. The second soil type is composed of flaky volcanic ash; our Cabernet from these plots show a bright, elevated red fruit note along with distinct floral aromas and especially crushed violets. We expect phenomenal things from the Coombsville AVA and look forward to wines that express Napa in its most dignified, beautiful, complex and ageworthy form.