September, 2001
Dear Friends:
It's been some time since we last wrote you with news
of the winery and new wine releases. It hasn't been
slow around here ...!
For the past two years Stuart has served as one of
15 members of the Napa River Watershed Task Force;
he was appointed by the Napa County Board of Supervisors.
This precedent setting group was charged with reviewing
the health of the Napa River watershed and recommending
changes to the existing Conservation Ordinance, which
is the most restrictive farming ordinance in America.
It was a lively debate, to say the least, which became
even more complicated when the Sierra Club sued Napa
County over the very ordinance under review. The entire
mess was chronicled in an extensive article in Outside
Magazine (September 2000 issue) written by Jim Conaway,
author of the book Napa.
Additionally, Stuart became a Director of the Napa
County Farm Bureau in an effort to keep that organization
democratic and farmer friendly. And if that wasn't
enough activity, Stuart's wife Julie Ann gave birth
to their daughter Charlotte seventeen months ago.
Did we forget to say that we started a replanting
program last year by replanting six acres? Whew!!
Earlier this summer Range Rover chose our mountainous
terrain to film part of their new brochure....
We have been finding that people are increasingly
intrigued with the fact that we are mountain farmers,
since our vineyards slope to as much as 35% at an
altitude of 1,800 feet. That is definitely a different
kind of farming than what happens on level areas such
as the Napa Valley floor. Another differentiating
feature of what we do is that we dry-farm the vineyards;
you've probably heard us expound on the rationale
for that, so we won't go through it here. It's coming
up these days as a topic as California's water and
power resources are dwindling....we'll be happy to
discuss it with you when you visit!
2000 Riesling: This is our 24th vintage of Riesling
and is a contender for one of our best. There's not
a lot of the 2000 Riesling, only 692 cases, and like
the 1998 and the 1999, is somewhat drier than our
earlier Rieslings. The 2000 vintage is a wine with
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. An absolute
delight to drink. Should we say that the 1999 Riesling
won the Gold Medal at the California State Fair? That
the 1998 Riesling won the Gold Medal at the San Diego
International Wine Judging or that the 1997 Riesling
won the Gold Medal at the California State Fair? Or
that the 1995 Riesling won the Gold Medal at the Orange
County Fair. No, we won't do that. 692 cases, $17.00/bottle
1999 Chardonnay: Six years ago we began reevaluating
how we make our Chardonnay.
We tried shaving older French oak barrels to expose
new oak to the wine. We tried placing new oak chips
in the wine; we tried using new oak staves and placing
them in the wine. We tried using new, one and two
year old American oak barrels from several different
coopers. We also tried using all new French oak and
various levels of new French oak. We tasted and tested
extensively to see which of the French forests' oak
worked best with our Chardonnay. Lastly, we reviewed
how long the barrel should be held over the fire prior
to bending the staves into place.
Well! - Shaving older oak barrels worked well in theory,
but not in practice - the wine was left with a bacon
flavor. Chips and staves seem to work all right for
some wines, but not for really good wine. New American
oak, or even one or two year old American oak, was
too powerful and coarse with vanillin flavors, and
simply wasn't compatible with the delicate nature
of Chardonnay. The American oak dominated the wine
and thus made it too simple. Thirty and fifty percent
new oak from the French forests of Troncais, Alliers,
and Nevers with a medium toast worked better than
all the previous attempts. However, we had our "Eureka!"
tasting with 100% new oak barrels from the forests
of Central France, (Trancais, Alliers and Nevers)
with a medium toast; that was what we liked the very
best. What this means is that we use the barrels just
once! Just so happens that that is the most expensive
way to make wine. I guess that's to be expected since
growing grapes on top of Spring Mountain is the most
expensive way to grow grapes. Nothing comes easy when
you're trying to make the very best wine.
Is all of this worth it? You bet it is! The 1998 Chardonnay
was our first vintage vinified this way and we liked
it so much that we made 40 barrels of the 1999 and
2000 vintages using this "recipe." The 1999
Chardonnay has a wonderful complex floral perfume
aroma with just a hint of toast and lemon. When the
wine enters your mouth, your first sensation is full,
smooth, soft and round - those flavors then linger
on the palate for a very long time. 942 cases, $25/bottle
1997 Cabernet Sauvignon: Big, dark red, soft, smooth,
yummy---that's what we think of this wine. As in the
past, our interpretation of Cabernet Sauvignon is
100% Cabernet Sauvignon, aged 26 months in new American
oak barrels. As with our Chardonnay we use the barrels
just once; then we sell those barrels to other wineries.
Our strong- flavored mountain Cabernet Sauvignon grapes
"marry" very well with the strong flavor
of the American oak barrels. The aroma is complex,
full of black cherries, crushed violets, nutmeg and
a hint of mint. This is a Cabernet Sauvignon anchored
by a firm structure with very 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. A mouthful now, there is little
doubt the wine will expand and develop as it matures.
Totally satisfying!! 1,675 cases, $35/bottle
Letting you know ahead of time that our next open
house will be June 8, 2002 - or simply call us to
arrange a visit Mondays through Saturdays. Watch your
mailbox for our announcement about re-releasing older
vintages of Riesling and Cabernet Sauvignon. We're
also working on our web site, www.smithmadrone.com,
and look forward to unveiling it soon.
Enjoy,
Stuart Smith and Charles Smith
