Napa Valley The Land, The Wine, The People
Charles O’Rear
Napa Valley The Land, The Wine, The People
Photographs
by
Charles O’Rear Text
by
Daphne Larkin
Introduction
7
Seasons & Light
13
Vines & Wines
13
Places & People
87
Celebrations & Style
199
Acknowledgments
218
Index
219
Those who make the journey to Napa Valley are quickly
geographical area approved by the federal government that
caught in its magical spell. Perhaps it’s the majestic beauty
has unique characteristics of soil, climate and history.Within
of the land, the extraordinary wines, the exceptional food
the Napa Valley Appellation, there are 14 sub-appellations
and the unique winery architecture that dots the valley floor,
with names that conjure up some of the best wines in the
rolling hills and mountains. Or maybe it’s the enchanted
world–Spring Mountain, Howell Mountain, St. Helena,
lifestyle inspired by the valley’s Mediterranean climate, a
Rutherford, Oakville,Yountville, Stag’s Leap District and
climate that covers only 2% of the earth’s surface.The reality
the Carneros. It is here in this special place one will find
is that the region’s natural beauty has captivated visitors to
45,000 acres of grapes and two to three million grapevines
America’s premier winegrowing region–one of the smallest
that provide more than 400 wineries the food of the gods–the
and most diverse in the world–for more than 150 years.
ambrosia of world-class wines.To come to Napa Valley is to
Sixty miles northeast of San Francisco, Napa Valley is designated as an American Viticultural Area (AVA), a
make a journey worth celebrating and to capture, if only momentarily, a dream realized.
Howell Mountain
Calistoga Diamond Mountain District
Chiles Valley District Spring Mountain District
St. Helena
Rutherford
Napa Valley Appellation & Sub-Appellations Atlas Peak
Oakville
Yountville
Mount Veeder
Stags Leap District
Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley Wild Horse Valley
Los Carneros
Map courtesy Napa Valley Vintners
Above: Theodore Gier (in hat) stands in the middle of his winery west of Napa, built in the 1880s. The building was restored and opened to the pubic in 1989 and is the home of Hess Collection. Right: The remains of the 1876 Franco-Swiss ghost winery east of St. Helena stands ready for renovation by entrepreneurs Richard and Leslie Mansfield.
A Legendary History The history of wine in Napa Valley has roots going back more than 150 years when the first vineyard was planted near Yountville. The Mediterranean climate, first visitors learned, was ideal for growing wine grapes. Soon Europeans arrived with knowledge of grape growing and wine making and by the mid 1880s, 175 wineries had been built. However, the root louse appeared and caused phylloxera, which soon destroyed most of the vineyards. Then a World War and Prohibition took precedent until the 1960s when the wine industry of Napa Valley began a resurgence. Soon there were nearly 40 wineries. Today, more than 400 wineries produce wine, of which some own a winery building while others simply register their label and hire wineries to “custom crush� their wine.
Below: A Spring Mountain vineyard appears to be covered in snow in this January photograph. A special infrared camera captured this scene when brilliant green grass covered the vineyard and clouds passed through a deep blue sky. The guesthouse of Terra Valentine winery appears in the distance.
Seasons & Light
Seasons of the Vine On Pritchard Hill’s eastern slopes of the valley, this chenin blanc vine displays a year’s cycle. Napa Valley’s Mediterranean climate, much like countries in southern Europe, creates the perfect grape growing conditions. At 1,800 feet above the valley floor, this Chappellet vineyard sees brief snow every few years. It’s by experiencing all seasons, from the dry heat of summer to moderate freezes in winter, that vines become dormant before starting new growth in the spring.
January
March
May
July
October
Below: Jack
Maeve Duncan run through March mustard in a vineyard in St. Helena. Wild mustard bursts forth in colors at random throughout Northern California every and
spring and signals the end of dormancy and the beginning of spring for grapevines. These
“head-pruned,� a
50-year-old
petit sirah vines are
style which has been replaced in the past few
decades with trellised vines planted more closely together.
Below: Summer fog approaches two-acre “Picnic Tree� vineyard on Spring Mountain. Cool nights and warm days during the summer growing season provide ideal weather for wine grapes. The vineyard, owned by nearby Cain Vineyard & Winery, produces merlot grapes as well as malbec and petit verdot for their Bordeaux-style blends.
Vines &Wines
Above: It’s a cooperative affair in this 100-year-old zinfandel vineyard of Alston Hayne in St. Helena as family and friends pick and prepare zinfandel grapes for delivery to a nearby winery. In Napa Valley, independent wine growers like Hayne sell their grapes to wineries though many wineries grow and harvest their own.
Above: Workers in a St. Helena vineyard silhouette against a sunrise sky before picking cabernet sauvignon grapes. Since Napa Valley’s wine industry began a resurgence 60 years ago, grape harvesting has predominantly relied on hand work though a few vineyards use harvest machines. Right: Along the highway entering the city of Napa from the south, “The Grapecrusher� statue welcomes visitors to Napa Valley. The bronze statue was erected in 1987 by artist Gino Miles and has become an icon for the valley.
Left: More than 200 oak barrels, each averaging 60 gallons of wine, line the entry to the underground caves of Shafer Vineyards near Napa. Cave building in Napa Valley experienced a renaissance in the early 70s following a long period in which those built during the last century were abandoned or fell into disrepair. Caves provide ideal conditions of constant temperature and moisture for storing and aging wine and reduce a winery’s dependence on electricity for air conditioning. Above: Shafer Winemaker Elias Fernandez inspects Chardonnay from a barrel sample of the previous year’s wine. From harvest to fermenting to aging and then to bottling often requires more than a year before releasing to the public.
Acacia
Acha
Ackerman
Adastra
Alpha Omega
Altamura
Altus
Anselmo Vigne
Arkenstone
Artesa
August Briggs
Azur
Black Stallion
Blockheadia
Bressler
Buccella
Cade
Cakebread
Art on the Bottle More than 20 years ago, wineries discovered an artful and innovative way to showcase their wine. Until then, they had focused on the bottle itself, its color, shape, weight, and the label design to imply flavor and quality. Now the new decorating option is the wine capsule. Long a practical lead foil used to protect the cork, the wine capsule has undergone a renaissance, becoming a powerful icon for wineries. Today these gorgeous pieces of art top most wine bottles and a bottle without an eye-catching capsule feels under dressed.
Calafia
Casa Piena
Castello di Amorosa
Ceja
Chappellet
Chateau Montelena
Cimarossa
Clark-Claudon
Cliff Lede
Clos Pegase
Colgin
Conn Creek
Conn Valley
Continuum
Corison
Covenant
Crane Brothers
Crocker & Starr
Cross
Cuvaison
D R Stephens
Dalla Valle
Dana
Darioush
David Arthur
Del Dotto
DeSante
Diamond Creek
Dolce
Domaine Carneros
Domaine Chandon
Duckhorn
Dunn
Ehlers Lane
Elliot
Emerson Brown
Etude
Fairchild
Fantesca
Far Niente
Five Generations
Flora Springs
Folie a Deux
Fontanella
Foreman
Forum
Fourteen Appellations
Franciscan
Now made of tin, which provides a sleek sheen, the new capsules masterfully make as much of a statement as wine labels. Displayed on their side by wine stores, restaurants and collectors to keep the cork moist, the capsules provide the added function of identifying and branding a winery. Shown together, the capsules reveal a brilliant sea of color and design of vines, grapes, crests, animals, shapes and letters. More than 400 wineries are registered in Napa Valley and most of them are represented here on these unique works of capsule art.
Frank Family
Gamble
Gemstone
Grace Family
Grassi
Green and Red
Gridley
Groth
Hagafen
Harlan
Hartwell
Hendry
Hess
Hollywood & Vine
Honig
Hourglass
Hunnicutt
Husic
Acacia
Acha
Ackerman
Adastra
Alpha Omega
Altamura
Altus
Anselmo Vigne
Arkenstone
Artesa
August Briggs
Azur
Black Stallion
Blockheadia
Bressler
Buccella
Cade
Cakebread
Calafia
Casa Piena
Castello di Amorosa
J Davies
Kenzo
Larkmead
Ceja
Chappellet
Chateau Montelena
Levy & McClellan
Long Meadow Ranch
Chateau Montelena
Cimarossa
Clark-Claudon
Cliff Lede
Clos Pegase
Colgin
Conn Creek
Conn Valley
Continuum
Corison
Covenant
Crane Brothers
Crocker & Starr
Cross
Cuvaison
D R Stephens
Dalla Valle
Dana
Darioush
David Arthur
Del Dotto
DeSante
Diamond Creek
Dolce
Domaine Carneros
Domaine Chandon
Duckhorn
Dunn
Ehlers Lane
Elliot
Emerson Brown
Etude
Fairchild
Fantesca
Far Niente
Five Generations
Flora Springs
Markham
Merryvale
Mumm
Folie a Deux
Fontanella
Foreman
Nickle & Nickle
Opus One
Ovid
Forum
Fourteen Appellations
Franciscan
Frank Family
Gamble
Gemstone
Grace Family
Grassi
Green and Red
Gridley
Groth
Hagafen
Harlan
Hartwell
Hendry
Hess
Hollywood & Vine
Honig
Hourglass
Hunnicutt
Husic
Acacia
Acha
Ackerman
Adastra
Alpha Omega
Altamura
Altus
Anselmo Vigne
Arkenstone
Artesa
August Briggs
Azur
Black Stallion
Blockheadia
Bressler
Buccella
Cade
Cakebread
Calafia
Casa Piena
Castello di Amorosa
J Davies
Kenzo
Larkmead
Ceja
Chappellet
Chateau Montelena
Levy & McClellan
Long Meadow Ranch
Chateau Montelena
Cimarossa
Clark-Claudon
Cliff Lede
Clos Pegase
Colgin
Conn Creek
Conn Valley
Continuum
Corison
Covenant
Crane Brothers
Crocker & Starr
Cross
Cuvaison
D R Stephens
Dalla Valle
Dana
Darioush
David Arthur
Del Dotto
DeSante
Diamond Creek
Dolce
Domaine Carneros
Domaine Chandon
Duckhorn
Dunn
Ehlers Lane
Elliot
Emerson Brown
Etude
Fairchild
Fantesca
Far Niente
Five Generations
Flora Springs
Markham
Merryvale
Mumm
Folie a Deux
Fontanella
Foreman
Nickle & Nickle
Opus One
Ovid
Forum
Fourteen Appellations
Franciscan
Frank Family
Gamble
Gemstone
Grace Family
Grassi
Green and Red
Gridley
Groth
Hagafen
Harlan
Hartwell
Hendry
Hess
Hollywood & Vine
Honig
Hourglass
Hunnicutt
Husic
Below: In the 140-year-old caves of Schramsberg Vineyards near Calistoga, Jesus Calderon turns or “riddles” as many as 40,000 bottles of sparkling wine a day, a fraction of the 2.7 million bottles aging here. Sparkling wine, called Champagne in France, is often created by the “methode traditionnelle,” which originated in Champagne, France over three centuries ago. Schramsberg was founded in 1862 by Jacob Schram, a German immigrant.
Above: A cluster of cabernet sauvignon completes the process of maturing; Mumm Napa fills their bottles of sparkling wine.
Above: Bottles of sparkling wine are heavier than bottles of still wine to contain fermentation pressure building up.
Above: Wines arrive to the consumer in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors.
Above: Sparkling wine welcomes visitors at a party at Schramsberg Vineyards; a traditional corkscrew becomes a piece of art.
Below: Bill and Jane Ballentine stand on the balcony of their restored “ghost winery� north of St. Helena. Built in 1873 and closed during Prohibition in 1920, the Balletines reopened the winery in 2004 as William Cole Vineyards.
Places &People
Vanity takes center stage in many places around Napa Valley, but none so obvious as the license plates on cars, trucks and motorcycles. Nowhere in America can a region boast its prowess in the way it’s done here with plates that display words such as Vine, Wine, Merlot, Zin and Cab.
The mystique of wine and the lure of the Mediterranean climate attract those who want to experience the joy and beauty of the place. California established vanity plates in 1970, and since then these special plates can be ordered with proceeds going to various non-profit agencies in the state.
Below: The busy harbor of Napa, circa 1900, is reflected in this painting shown on a wall along Main Street in downtown. Artists Steve Della Maggiora and Susan Clifford captured this scene in 1996.
Napa Corner
Robert Mondavi
Spring Mountain Stained Glass
Flora Springs
Napa Valley Olive Oil Mfg.
Beringer Stained Glass
Edgehill Winery
Napa Theater
Round Pond
Clos Pegase
Abreu Gate
Sterling
Napa Rainbow
Stags Leap Stained Glass
Hess Collection
Beringer
Mustards Restaurant
Bistro Jaunty
Napa Church
Above: Using the architecture of his Iranian birthplace, Darioush Khaledi opened Darioush winery along the valley’s Silverado Trail. Khaledi’s Persian heritage inspired him to evoke the ancient capital of Persepolis. Sixteen 18-foot columns greet visitors to the winery.
Above: A “bud� ready for grafting to a grapevine rootstock. A picker sharpens his knife and a grower shows the bounty of his harvest.
Above: A home winemaker presses zinfandel grapes into a press.
Above: Intern Yannick Durand from France displays stained hands during harvest at Cain Vineyard & Winery on Spring Mountain.
Above: Hands of 90-year-old winegrower Grant Cairns; pickers’ hands at harvest; an artist paints a bottle at Etched Images in Napa.
Below: Dusk falls over Ovid winery in the hills east of Oakville as fog begins to settle across Napa Valley 1,400 feet below. Mark Nelson and Dana Johnson carved 15 acres of vineyard out of rocky soil to create their wine estate in 2000.
Above: Howard and Lyndal Walker enjoy guests in their zinfandel vineyard near St. Helena. The valley’s warm days, cool nights and dry air inspire locals to take advantage of a vineyard’s beauty to entertain.
Celebrations &Style
Above: Dolores Cakebread holds a bounty of vegetables grown at her family winery in Rutherford.
Above: In the kitchen at Bistro Don Giovanni in Napa; guests taste at Alpha Omega winery; a balloon rises above Yountville vineyards.
Above: Graduates at the Culinary Institute of America; a wedding party plays croquet at Meadowood Resort; a tasting at Swanson Vineyards.
Above: Visitors crush grapes the old fashioned way during a harvest party underway at Peju Province Winery in Rutherford.