By Louis S. Luzzo, Sr. 

As a perfect tie-in to this month's California Cheeses feature, I thought we would look at Napa Valley and its wine making history. Many of you are familiar with the wines you like from this iconic wine-growing region. The area boasts nearly 700 wineries ranging in size from small, family-owned wineries producing as few as 250 cases of wine annually, to multinational corporations selling millions of cases of wine each year. There are those that predict that the abundance of great wine being produced in the state of California today will reach a very local and regional flavor, as more and more smaller wineries make their niche.

Many of you, however, may not know how Napa Valley became what it is today. Like the cheeses of the state, recent wine making in California has taking on an 'artisanal flair,' a seemingly new direction after the mega wineries made their mark in the 60s,70s and 80s, but, its artisan history actually goes back to the very first settlers that arrived in the area. The question I chose to explore here with this was, "Why Napa? What makes Napa Valley and surrounding area's so conducive to producing such quality grapes?" I'm more interested in the region that is Napa, as opposed to any one winery. Instead I've chosen to explore the area's culture and history and what it is that makes it such a special place in the world, when it comes to making wine.

The staggering thought for me is that when it comes to winemaking history, Napa is but a babe, yet it has taken the wisdom of the world and in a very short time, emerged into a highly respected status. What might this region hold for future wine connoisseurs as the Valley matures throughout the next 2 decades? Grab a glass of your favorite, settle in...and let's explore Napa, California.

An Overview

Within the Napa Valley, regions have emerged that possess distinct microclimates and terrains, imprinting recognizable characteristics into the grapes grown within them. Vintners and growers within these regions delineate the boundaries of these growing areas, giving them names that reflect their regional designations, or appellations.

Data supporting a proposed American Viticultural Area, or AVA, is submitted to the government, which decides whether the proposed appellation designation will be granted.

The Napa Valley is itself an appellation and within the Napa Valley appellation exists 14 subappellations, or AVAs, including: Atlas Peak, Chiles Valley District, Diamond Mountain District, Howell Mountain, Los Carneros, Mt. Veeder, Oakville, Rutherford, St. Helena, Spring Mountain District, Stags Leap District, Yountville, Wild Horse Valley and Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley. The Calistoga appellation is still pending approval.

The Wappo Indians, who first inhabited the valley, described it as 'a land of plenty' with the word, "Napa." Back then it was an area alive with wildlife from salmon filled waterways to clouds of migrating waterfowl, the valley filled with wildcats, elk, black bear and grizzlies. It seemed the land itself wished to bring forth her sweet nectars as wild grapes also grew in abundance, but, it was not until an early settler, George Calvert Yount, recognized the valley's true potential for cultivating winegrapes. Establishing the first local homestead in what is now Yountville in 1836, Yount was the first to plant vineyards in the valley. In 1864, Yount's grandson-in-law Thomas Rutherford and his new bride Elizabeth received 1,040 acres  of land in the area now known as Rutherford as a wedding present from Elizabeth's grandfather,Yount. Rutherford made a serious investment in grape production and winemaking from 1850 to 1880, and established himself as a grower and producer of high-quality wines.

John Patchett established the valley's first commercial vineyard in 1858, with Charles Krug establishing Napa Valley's first commercial winery in St. Helena, in 1861. H. W. Crabb bought land near Oakville close to the Napa River in 1868 and he established a vineyard and winery named To Kalon, and by 1877, had planted 130 acres and was producing 50,000 US gallons of wine per year. Crabb experimented with over 400 grape varieties in a quest to find the types best suited for the area.

In the winery boom that followed, which included names like Schramsberg (founded in 1862), Beringer (1876) and Inglenook (1879), by the end of the nineteenth century there were more than one hundred and forty wineries in the area. Of those original wineries, several still exist in the valley today including Beaulieu, Beringer, Charles Krug, Chateau Montelena, Far Niente, Mayacamas, Markham Vineyards, and Schramsberg.

Before long, however, the rapid expansion of the new wine industry saw prices plummet amidst a sea of surplus grapes, and the arrival of the disease phylloxera dealt vintners a stunning blow, as much of the valley's vineyard acreage fell victim to the destructive root louse.

An even greater threat to Napa Valley's wine business arrived in 1920, with the enactment of Prohibition. Vineyards were abandoned and many winemakers found other trades during the next 14 years, with a handful of wineries continuing to operate by producing sacramental wines. With the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, Napa Valley's wine industry began its renaissance: a period of recovery, then tremendous expansion and, finally, in recent years, refinement.

During the war years the industry faced a number of problems, including price controls and a daunting shortage of labor, bottles and rail cars for eastern shipment of wine. In 1943, Louis M. Martini, John Daniel, Jr., Charles Forni and Louis Stralla discussed forming an association, a vintners forum, that would allow vintners a regular opportunity to exchange ideas and work as a group to overcome some of these obstacles and to elevate the status of Napa Valley wines. The late Louis P. Martini recalled that his father "believed the vintners could collectively solve industry-related problems that could not be solved by individuals."

Martini also said that "in order to maintain harmony, one of the early unwritten rules was there would be no action on an issue unless there was unanimous agreement." By 1944 a formal agreement of association was drafted. Shortly thereafter, the four original founders invited other vintners to join them: Georges de Latour, Robert Mondavi, Elmer Salmina, Charlie Beringer and Roy Raymond.

André Tchelistcheff is generally credited with ushering in the modern era of winemaking in California. Beaulieu hired Tchelisticheff in 1938. He introduced several new techniques and procedures to the region, such as aging wine in small French Oak barrels, cold fermentation, vineyard frost prevention, and malolactic fermentation. 

Brother Timothy; a member of the Christian Brothers, was also very instrumental in the creation of the modern wine industry in Napa. After an earlier career as a teacher, he transferred to the order's Mont La Salle located on Mount Veeder in the Mayacamas Mountains east of Napa in 1935 to become the wine chemist for the order's expanding wine operations. The Christian Brothers had grown grapes and made sacramental wine in Benicia, California during Prohibition, but decided to branch out into commercial production of wine and brandy after the repeal of Prohibition. The science teacher was a fast learner and soon established Christian Brothers as one of the leading brands in the state's budding wine industry. Brother Timothy's smiling face in advertisements and promotional materials became one of the most familiar images for wine consumers across the country. Following the Second World War, the wine industry in Napa began to thrive again.

In 1965, Napa Valley icon Robert Mondavi broke away from his family's Charles Krug estate to found his own winemaking operation in Oakville. It was the first new large scale winery to be established in the valley since before prohibition and included the original To Kalon land. Following the establishment of the Mondavi estate, the number of wineries in the valley grew rapidly, as did the region's reputation.

In 1975, the Napa Valley Grape Growers Association was organized and today both growers and vintners join forces on projects of common interest, devoting much of their time to an active marketing program.

In 1981, the first Napa Valley Wine Auction was sponsored at Meadowood resort. Over the years, this NVV-sponsored celebration of Napa Valley wine and food has become one of the world's premier charity wine events, drawing participants from around the globe. Since 1981, the NVV has given $85 million to local health care, youth programs and affordable housing.

Today Napa Valley features more than 700 wineries that grow many grape varieties including Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Zinfandel, and other popular varietals. While some winemakers produce wines from specific AVAs within the valley, the majority choose to blend or cuvée their wines using a mixture of wine from grapes grown on the valley floor and the surrounding hillsides. Its growers and vintners combine cutting-edge science with traditional techniques, and its reputation for producing world-class wines is firmly established in an ever-growing global market.

The combination of Mediterranean climate, geography and geology of the Napa Valley are conducive to growing quality wine grapes and while doing a piece recently on the Wines of Spain, I was surprised to see that one of the area's we covered was referred to as the "Napa Valley of Spain," such has become the its reputation. In fact, there is more viticultural diversity within the Napa Valley appellation than there is within the Médoc or the Côte d'Or, in France.

Bounded on both sides by mountains, the Napa Valley stretches approximately 30 miles in a northwesterly direction, its width ranging from five miles at the widest point near the city of Napa to just a mile where the valley narrows near the town of Calistoga.

Bisecting the valley is the Napa River, which follows the valley's tapered contour, and dwindles from a fully navigable river in its southern stretches to little more than a creek at its northern beginnings. The valley's topography changes with its length, from the windswept estuarine flats and gentle hills in the south to the valley's narrow tip at the town of Calistoga, cradled between the sheer walls of the Palisades at the foot of Mount St. Helena to the east and the forested Mayacamas Mountains to the west.

The Napa Valley's amiable climate makes it a veritable garden. A wide variety of fruits and vegetables thrive here: oranges, prunes, apples, olives and more. But what makes the Napa Valley truly unique is its remarkable suitability for the production of wine grapes. A maritime climate that produces cool nights and warm days combines with soils that are deep but not excessively fertile to yield grapes that are singular in their intensity, complexity and balance.

Several different microclimates and a wide array of soil profiles mean that different vineyards produce grapes that are unique in style and character - but uniformly high in quality.

The vineyard environments of the Napa Valley have evolved through geologic time. Like the rest of California, Napa Valley has had a very active and eventful geologic history. Many tectonic plates (large pieces of the earth's crust) have collided with North America to form California. As a result, there are many geological faults in the area, which have molded the topography of the Napa Valley and the mountains that surround it.

A great deal of volcanic activity occurred in the area about two million years ago. These volcanic eruptions deposited a series of ash and lava called the Sonoma Volcanics over much of Napa and Sonoma Counties, especially along the axis of the Mayacamas Range. The small hills which emerge from the valley floor north of Yountville were created by this volcanic activity. The valley is part of the California coastal margin, which is made of old seafloor, diverse chunks of rock from the greater Pacific basin, and fire-born materials disgorged from inside our planet. The long, steady compression formed the uplifted seabed into folds that became mountain ranges. In that process different types of valleys were created. In a few cases the troughs between the mountains were widened and lowered. The Napa Valley is one such drop-and-spread valley, which accounts for its low elevation relative to the higher stream-etched valleys which are more typical of the Coast Range.

Changes in sea level caused San Pablo Bay to alternately advance and retreat over the southern part of the valley several times. This resulted in the deposition of bay sediment (clays and sand) as soil parent material in the southern valley. The bedrock varies from coarse sandstones to marine conglomerates to volcanic basalts and tuff. These different parent materials give rise to soils with very different abilities to retain water, texture and fertility.

How does knowing this information affect the wine you drink? Well, from our 'consumers' point of view, it produces those unique characteristics in certain wines that are the very reasons we choose one wine over another. Knowing which wineries are growing the right grapes, means that you will be getting the very best of that particular variety. Here's a simple geographical example;

Vitis vinifera (wine grape) will grow in the temperate latitudes of the northern and southern hemispheres and it will make good wine in most of those places. It will make better wine in the climate of California. It will make excellent wine in certain locations within coastal California. It will make outstanding wine wthin Napa Valley. It will make exceptional wine in many locations within the Napa Valley.

Within this dimension of superb locations, the issue becomes no longer, how good the wines are, but the characteristics of those wines. Like Bordeaux in France, wines, no matter how regional, are expected to be good if coming from wineries within that appellation. The same can now be said for Napa Valley. Some locations will favor certain grape varieties over others. In places having a single grape in common, the wines from each place will show distinctive aromas, flavors, color, texture, acidity and - most difficult to define - an overall sensibility that might be likened to personality.

The landscape as we know it today was completed inside the last 10 million years, with what we consider finishing touches coming in the geological equivalent of last week. Around 5 million years ago, Pt. Reyes was somewhere off the coast of Monterey, grinding northward on a tectonic journey that began on the Mexican coast and may end in the Arctic Circle. Just a few thousand years ago the Golden Gate was the mouth of a mighty river draining most of the melting snowpack of the Sierra west to the sea.

California's coastal landscape is still changing. The volcanic chaos and marine incursions have given way to gentler but no less inexorable forces. In more recent time, seismic activity and simple water movements have been the primary agents of change. Every earthquake is a reminder that the earth's crust is dynamic, that features we consider permanent parts of the landscape may, in fact, be transient. Meanwhile, water continues to erode, transport, mix and deposit rock materials, introducing them to the ongoing process of weathering into new soils. Like the wine it yields, fine soil ages gracefully. Older soils are better able to restrain youthful exuberance of healthy grapevines, because through leaching and amalgamation they have become inherently less vigorous. In fact, many of the materials that make up Napa Valley soils are far older than the topography they cover.

Atlas Peak  

Climate: Cool, mountain-influenced, with temperatures about 10 to 15°F cooler than the Valley floor in summer. Above the fog line, there is a low diurnal change, with summer temperatures rarely above 90°F (30°).
Elevation: 760 to 2600 ft (231m to 792m).
Rainfall: 38 inches (96 cm) annually.
Soils: Volcanic in origin, with basaltic red color, shallow with limited water retention, so irrigation is often essential.

Principal varieties & characteristics: Cabernet Sauvignon: Bright berry and cherry fruit, and more acidity than wines from Stags Leap District. Chardonnay: Crisp, flora, aromatic, with distinctive pear-mineral flavors and bright acidity.

Chiles Valley District

Climate: Fairly warmer summer days (mid-80°F plus), but due to higher elevation and summer fog at night, quite chilly at night (below 50°F). With colder winters and spring, as well as strong winds, harvest comes later than on valley floor at Oakville.
Elevation: 800 to 1300 ft. (242 to 394m).
Rainfall: 35 inches (88cm) annually.
Soils: On the valley floor, primarily alluvial soils with silty-clay composition of marine origin, with good fertility. Hillsides show more clay-loam and stony-clay composition, mostly marine in origin, with some volcanic outcroppings, and less fertility.

Principal varieties & characteristics: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc: Cabernets usually reveal a lush yet firm texture with good acidity, firm tannin and distinctive cherry-blackberry flavors. Merlot typically has vibrant black cherry flavors mixed with a touch of cocoa.

Diamond Mountain District

Climate: Moderately warm temperatures with lower maximum temperatures and higher minimum temperatures than north Napa Valley floor, due to topography and altitude. Significantly cooler than valley floor near Calistoga, 50 to 95°F in growing season (10 to 32°C).
Elevation: 400 to 2200 ft. (130 to 530m)
Rainfall: 40 to 55 inches (135cm) annually.
Soils: Residual uplifted soils of volcanic origin, often reddish and very fine-grained, even gritty in texture, composed of both weathered sedimentary and volcanic origin.

Principal varieties & characteristics: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc: firmly structured, rich and fairly tannic when young, with strong blackcurrant, mineral, and cedary flavors. Less supple and fleshy than valley or benchland wines, with good aging potential. Chardonnay: Full-bodied, yet revealing mineral, green apple-peach aromas with fairly firm acidity; less richly textured than valley floor wines.

Howell Mountain

Climate: Similar to the facing Spring Mountain AVA, however slightly warmer and dryer overall due to strong afternoon sun influence. Fairly cool nights in both ranges and higher elevations help maintain good acidity.
Elevation: 600 to 2200 ft (184 to 675m).
Rainfall: 40 to 50 inches (125cm) annually.
Soils: Predominantly volcanic, shallow and infertile. Drainage is high, fertility low.

Principal varieties & characteristics: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel: Powerful, firm, blackberry-currant flavors and often richly tannic, with excellent acidity for aging. Chardonnay, Viognier: Sinewy, firm and not as fruity as those of the valley floor, revealing more citrus and stone fruit flavors.

Los Carneros

Climate: Cool, with prevailing marine winds from the San Pablo Bay and through the Petaluma Gap to the west. High temperatures during summer rarely exceed 80°F (27°C) with less diurnal range variation.
Elevation: 15 to 400 ft. (4.6 to124 m)
Rainfall: Lowest in Napa Valley: 18 to 24 inches (7.2 to 9.6 cm) annually.
Soils: Clay dominated, very shallow in general, with more loam and hillside alluvials in the northern section. Yields typically are restrained by the hard claypan subsoil, which prevents deep-rooting.

Principal varieties & characteristics: Chardonnay: minerally pear-apple and spice flavors. Merlot: sinewy and lightly herbal, with fine tannins and sleek structure. Pinot Noir: ripe cherry-cinnamon spice flavors with earthy notes.

Mount Veeder

Climate: Cool to moderate, with most vineyards above the fog-line, meaning warmer nights and cooler days and less diurnal range than the valley floor. Typical mid-summer high temperatures about 85°F (30°C).
Elevation: 600 to 2100 ft. (183 to 650m).
Rainfall: 35 inches (87.5cm) annually.
Soils: Sedimentary based, former seabed, shallow and generally well drained, as well as more acidic, with low fertility. Most have a sandy or sandy-loam texture.

Principal varieties & characteristics: Ageability is a hallmark of Mt. Veeder wines. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel: Low yields give red wines a firm, tannic structure with strong earth-berry aromas and rich, but powerful flavors. Chardonnay: minerally, appley, even citrus flavors with good acidity.

Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley

Climate: Moderate to cool: marine air and fog can remain until mid-morning. Late afternoon breezes frequently occur, maintaining slightly cooler temperatures than upper valley. Mid-summer temperatures may reach 92 degrees F (31.5 C) and drop to around 50F (10C) at night.
Elevation: sea level to 800 feet (244m)
Rainfall: 36 inches (90cm) annually.
Soils: The valley's largest alluvial fan formed by Dry Creek creates the defining feature of the district. The northwest area is composed of volcanically derived soils, with stony or gravelly consistency. South and east areas are transitional from gravel to silty clay loam.

Principal varieties & characteristics: Merlot, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon benefit from a longer growing season with slightly cooler temperatures, though crop size is typically less than in other AVAs. Elegant style is the common note with fruit flavors of cassis, tobacco and spice typical to Bordeaux-style reds. Chardonnay showcases flavors of crisp apple, mineral notes and tropical fruit with fine acidity.

Oakville

Climate: Moderately warm, with temperatures commonly in the mid-90°F range in high summer, but also still strongly affected by night and early morning fog which helps keep acidity levels good. East side of the AVA receives more of warmer afternoon sun.
Elevation: 75 to 500 ft (23 to 150m).
Rainfall: 35 inches (87.5 cm) annually.
Soils: Primarily sedimentary gravelly alluvial loams on the western side, with more volcanic but heavier soils on the eastern side. Low to moderate fertility and fairly deep, with average water retention.

Principal varieties & characteristics: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot: Ripe currant and mint flavors, rich texture and full, firm structure tempered by rich fruit. Sauvignon Blanc: Full, steely, yet very fleshy, and not especially crisp.

Rutherford

Climate: Moderately warm, still marginally influenced by early morning fog. Western bench area is cooler, with less late afternoon sun, tempered by afternoon marine winds. (This AVA averages a bit warmer than Oakville and Stags Leap District). Usual summer peak temperatures are mid-90°F with good diurnal range.
Elevation: 100 to 500 ft. (33 to 150m).
Rainfall: 38 inches (95 cm) annually.
Soils: Western benchland is sedimentary, gravelly-sandy and alluvial, with good water retention and moderate fertility. The eastern side has more volcanic soils, moderately deep and more fertile.

Principal varieties & characteristics: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Zinfandel: This is "Cabernet country." Quite intense cherry and mineral, almost earthy aromas. Flavors are full, ripe, and notably currant with firm, but supple tannins for extended aging.

St. Helena

Climate: Warm, due to greater protection from western hills, with less fog or wind incursions. The narrowing of the valley floor provides more heat reflection off the hillsides. Mid-summer temperature peak is often in the mid- to high 90°F range (31 to 35°C).
Elevation: 150 to 600 ft. (46 to 185m).
Rainfall: 38 to 40 inches (95 to 100cm) annually.
Soils: South and west borders are more sedimentary, gravel-clay soils, with lower fertility and moderate water retention. Further north and to the east soils are prevalently volcanic in origin and are deeper and more fertile.

Principal varieties and characteristics: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot: deep, ripe, often jammy flavors, with firm tannins for structure, and appealing aromas of currant and black fruit. Rhone varieties (Syrah, Viognier): Fleshy, supple and slightly earthy. Zinfandel: Blackberry-like, well-structured.

Spring Mountain District  

Climate: Similar to Mt. Veeder AVA, with cool weather prevailing and smaller diurnal changes. Fairly cool nights and higher elevations help maintain good acidity.
Elevation: 600 to 2200 ft (184 to 675m).
Rainfall: 40 to 50 inches (125cm) annually.
Soils: Primarily sedimentary; weathered sandstone/shale, loamy and friable in texture. Drainage is high, fertility low.

Principal varieties & characteristics: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel: Powerful, firm, blackberry-currant flavors and often richly tannic, with excellent acidity for aging. Chardonnay, Viognier: Sinewy, firm and not as fruity as those of the valley floor, revealing more citrus and stone fruit flavors.

Stags Leap District

Climate: Moderately warm, with afternoon marine winds acting as an 'air-conditioner' to cool the warmer air radiating off the bare rocks of Stags leap itself and the surrounding hillsides. This AVA is often up to 10deg. warmer than in Yountville AVA. Mid-summer temperatures can reach 100°F, but more regularly are in mid-90 range (32-34°C).
Elevation: 66 to 400 ft. (20 to 123 m).
Rainfall: 30 inches (75cm) annually.
Soils: Volcanic gravel-loams on the floor of the valley, with rocky hillsides, and low to moderate fertility due to hard clay bedrock subsoils 2 to 6 feet down.

Principal varieties & characteristics: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sangiovese: Distinguished by lush, velvety textures and fine perfumed cherry and red berry flavors, supported by soft tannins. Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc: Round and ripe, especially Sauvignon Blanc, yet retain excellent citrus and apple flavors.

Wild Horse Valley

Climate: A warmer area well to the east of Napa Valley proper, but still moderated by both altitude and prevailing winds coming off Suisun Bay to the Southeast.
Elevation: Wild Horse Valley 400 to 1500 ft. (123 to 460 m).
Rainfall: 35 inches (94 cm) annually.
Soils: Volcanic in origin, with basaltic red color, shallow with limited water retention, so irrigation is often essential.

Principal varieties & characteristics: Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese: Bright berry and cherry fruit, and more acidity than wines from Stags Leap District. Chardonnay: Crisp, flora, aromatic, with distinctive pear-mineral flavors and bright acidity.

Yountville

Climate: Moderate, with definite cool marine influence and fog contributing to cool summer mornings and the marine breeze keeping afternoons more comfortable than further up valley. Mid-summer peak temperatures may reach 90°F (31°C), with noticeable diurnal fluctuation to the mid-50°F range (13°C).
Elevation: 20 to 200 ft (6 to 61m).
Rainfall: 32 inches (80 cm) annually.
Soils: Principally gravelly silt loams, sedimentary in origin, and gravelly alluvial soils with rock, moderately fertile.

Principal varieties & characteristics: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot: Yountville favors Cabernet and Merlot with ripe, violety aromas and rich, but supple flavors and firm tannins.

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