WEBSITE ON-LINE & LOTS OF GOLD FOR SMITH-MADRONE
IN IMPORTANT SPRING WINE JUDGINGS
St. Helena, Spring Mountain, Napa Valley, California,
spring 2002---Smith-Madrone Vineyards & Winery was awarded
a sweepstakes gold Medal for its 1999 Chardonnay and
a bronze medal for its 2000 Riesling at the Monterey
Wine Competition, which took place March 2-3 in King
City (southern Monterey County). A sweepstakes gold
is a medal which was nominated for Best of Show and
evaluated by all judges in the Sweepstakes voting for
Best of Show. "I'm impressed with the judges for honoring
a California Chardonnay that epitomizes balance and
elegance. This is a direction I champion for California
Chardonnay and I believe consumers are well served when
competition judges respect these characteristics in
a wine," commented Monterey Wine Competition director
(and San Diego Union-Tribune wine writer and KSDO-AM
radio host) Robert Whitley. The Monterey Wine Competition
began in 1994 and has grown consistently; international
entries were accepted for the first time in 2000.
Smith-Madrone's 2000 Riesling and 1999 Chardonnay
were each awarded a gold medal at the San Francisco
Chronicle Wine Competition in February, 2002. "Congratulations
to Smith-Madrone for its gold medals! We salute Smith-Madrone
for their excellence in winemaking," said Bob Fraser,
the Competition's Executive Director.
The Chardonnay has a national suggested retail price
of $25.00; only 942 cases were made. The Riesling has
a national suggested retail price of $17.00 and only
692 cases were made. Also currently available from Smith-Madrone
is the 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon ($35.00), with 1,675
cases made.
Smith-Madrone's wines are available at the winery
and to the winery's mailing list customers [call 707/963-2283]
and at selected retail outlets in fifteen states. Located
at 4022 Spring Mountain Road in St. Helena (707/963-2283),
the winery is open for tours and tastings by appointment.
WEBSITE
As of May, the winery has arrived on the web at www.smithmadrone.com.
Designed by J. Belshaw of J.REDdigitalarts (http://www.jredweb.com),
the site opens with a dramatic picture of the winery's
hillside vineyards. From the home page, visitors can
test their skills in a wine trivia quiz, check on upcoming
events, or read some of the essays and letters Stu Smith
has written about the environment and agriculture in
the Napa Valley. The site includes Global Positioning
Satellite aerial photographs of the Spring Mountain
District.
In addition to information about the wines, the vineyards
and the winery's history, visitors can sign up to be
notified when Smith-Madrone releases its wines or hosts
events. The site is formatted in a very friendly and
easy-to-read style, with many photographs interspersed
with the text.
"The colors are very natural and the navigation is
very straightforward," designer Belshaw comments in
discussing the site. "When I heard Stuart once describe
himself as a 'technopeasant,' that spurred the approach
I took for the site---down to earth, the basics of soil,
sun and photosynthesis," she added. Belshaw, who is
a community tree steward in Durham, New Hampshire, has
a web development firm with clients including www.coloradohorsehair.com
(Boulder CO), www.bostoncoachingco.com (Boston MA),
www.ditofny.org (New York City) and www.tjsgoose.com
(Maine).
"In this web site you'll see an emphasis on nature
and the natural elements related to grapegrowing and
winemaking," she continues. "The structure of the site
encourages sharing wine-related information as opposed
to foisting a marketing schtick on visitors," she adds.
Visiting www.smithmadrone.com provides information about
particular wines, winemaking, Napa Valley agriculture
and a little Napa 'culture,'" she says.
"Something about the Smith-Madrone approach to winemaking
reminds me of Darwin and Lyell and other nineteenth
century naturalists, who were out there truly 'interacting'
with their medium: observing, experimenting, reporting.
Similarly, Stuart and Charlie Smith are engaged in every
stage of the grape and the wine. That's why I veered
toward traditional typefaces and 'hand-tint' colors
such as you'd see in natural science books and maps
of that era," she explains.
1999 CHARDONNAY
The wine's appellation is Napa Valley and the sub-appellation
is the Spring Mountain District. The vines are 27 years
old and are entirely dry-farmed mountain vineyards.
The wine is 100% Chardonnay, 100% barrel-fermented and
spent 18 months in new French Marchive oak barrels.
The alcohol is 13.4%. Smith-Madrone's Chardonnay vines
are planted on their own roots, in red volcanic soil,
on slopes up to 35% on top of Spring Mountain. The wine
has a complex floral perfumed aroma, blended with just
a hint of toast and lemon. The wine is full, smooth,
soft and round on the palate.
2000 RIESLING
The wine's appellation is Napa Valley and the sub-appellation
is the Spring Mountain District. The vines are 29 years
old and are entirely dry-farmed mountain vineyards.
The wine is 100% Riesling. The alcohol is 12.2%; the
total acidity is 0.82 grams/100ml; the pH is 3.09 and
the residual sugar is 0.9%. Smith-Madrone's Riesling
is grown at the very top of Spring Mountain (1,800 foot
elevation), just west of St. Helena in the Napa Valley.
As with the Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, Smith-Madrone's
Riesling vines are planted on very steep slopes (up
to 35%) in red volcanic soil. Very pale in color with
green highlights around the edge, this vintage of Smith-Madrone
Riesling has intense and powerful aromas unique to Riesling,
including undertones of freshly picked apricots and
peaches. The wine is soft and smooth on the palate,
with an intense fruitiness and a long dry finish.
1997 CABERNET SAUVIGNON
The wine's appellation is Napa Valley and the sub-appellation
is the Spring Mountain District. The vines are 26 years
old and are entirely dry-farmed mountain vineyards.
The wine is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. The alcohol is
13.4%. The wine was aged for 26 months in new small
American oak barrels; it was neither fined nor filtered.
A dark red ruby color, the aroma is complex, full of
black cherries, crushed violets, nutmeg and a hint of
mint. This is a Cabernet anchored by a firm structure
yet with few of the astringent tannins often associated
with robust mountain wine. Packed in the center with
deep Cabernet fruit, the wine finishes with a long flourish
of fruit and oak seamlessly combined.
THE WINERY
Smith-Madrone is a family-owned estate winery dedicated
to producing fine wines exclusively from its own vineyards,
founded in 1971 with the purchase of 200 acres on top
of Spring Mountain west of St. Helena in the northern
Napa Valley. Brothers Stuart and Charles Smith are the
co-owners, vineyard managers and winemakers. Their family
lineage includes David Hume, the eighteenth century
Scottish philosopher as well as the Fetherolf family
who came to America on the Good Ship Thistle in 1725.
Smith-Madrone produces approximately 1,000 cases each
of Riesling, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon annually,
all of which are entirely estate-grown and estate-bottled.
The winery was founded in 1971 with the purchase of
200 acres high atop Spring Mountain west of St. Helena
in the northern Napa Valley. Smith-Madrone is located
at elevations between 1,600 and 1,800 feet. The vines
flourish in vividly red and rocky Aiken loam volcanic
soil. The winery enjoys dramatic views of the floor
of the Napa Valley and the Sierra Nevada Mountains in
the distance, as well as of its own steep dry-farmed
vineyards. In exploring the property before purchasing
it, Stuart Smith discovered old grape stakes interspersed
with the forest's tall trees, evidence of a vineyard
planted in the 1880s and abandoned with the onset of
Prohibition. The name for the winery came as a tribute
to the Smiths who pursued their dream and to the madrone
trees which distinguish the property.
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