Growing Conditions
To put it simply – this was one of our great modern vintages in the Napa Valley. It almost had a
Bordeaux feeling to it – moderate rainfall for all but three months before the real rains arrived in October. By
then, everything was in the barn. No significant heat spikes, which made for a very long even growing season. The
only complaint I had with all our vineyard sites was, I wish I had harvested more grapes. Cluster size and weights
were down, and we were 20% off of average when we finished picking. It was one of those years, you wish you just
had more grapes. Spectacular quality, both reds and whites. The wines have deep colors, structure, concentration,
and depth of flavor.
Winemaking
In 2016, the Tierra Roja continues an amazing string of
vintages from this unique site. Like all years, this was from the lower block of
Tierra Roja and aged in new Taransaud barrels. However, in 2016, the fermentation
lasted an additional 10 days over what is 'normal' for us from Tierra
Roja. The additional skin time and the characteristics of this great vintage
resulted in a slightly richer/sweeter profile than in past years. An extraordinary
vintage for this small four-acre vineyard.
