“Cabernet Sauvignon needs to either work hard or have a view to be truly exceptional,” Jen Beloz, General Manager explains. “Grapes that work hard, build character and in turn become memorable.”
At our estate vineyard in Coombsville, Napa’s newest AVA, grapes are challenged throughout a long, cool growing season.
Both the newest in Napa Valley and the furthest south, Coombsville benefits from ancient volcanic soils, marine breezes coming off the nearby San Pablo Bay, as well as a long and cool growing season due to its location in the valley.
Located just east of the town of Napa, close to the bay, Coombsville is a physically cooler region. In the early days, many thought it was too cold to grow cabernet there, considering it to be primarily chardonnay country, but some visionaries planted anyway. Besides being the latest-to-ripen vines in Napa, the soil profiles are very different given it’s closer to the Vaca Mountain range, so there is a lot of eroded volcanic soil, which means, lots of minerals in the soil.
In Napa Valley you get more red fruit, more spice. The tannins can be a bit more rustic. Down in Coombsville you get more intense color, a blue-black fruit profile. A brighter acidity and minerality in the wines. Coombsville is just very unique.
In 1998 the Huneeus family found this property, fell in love with it and saw the potential. A never-planted before, former dairy farm, the Lewis Dairy, in Coombsville had many of the distinct elements that are a signature of the Huneeus estates—beautiful creeks, native trees, teeming with wildlife, an island. The property embodies all the unique attributes of a world-class estate – diversity of soil, elevation, exposition and climate, all in one single estate. This was destined to be the vineyard source for an exceptional wine.