Spring Mountain District 2006

Parklander Magazine, June 2006

Sheila & Bennet Bodenstein, 2006

Forum Newspaper Group, Parklander Magazine

             Within the Napa Valley, near the town of St. Helena, lies a little known wine grape growing region known as Spring Mountain. Spring Mountain has been the site of wine grape growing since Civil War times but the region is not favorable to large vineyards because of the mountainous terrain, it was always considered the exclusive domain of small boutique wineries. The area consists of just over 30 vineyard/wineries that occupy a mere 1000 acres of land. Considering the huge size of many of the vineyards in the Napa Valley proper, these would be considered to be the equivalent of backyard plantings.

             Size however, does not mean everything. These small wineries make some of the best wines coming out of that area. The secret is simple; most of these wineries cannot afford the massive winemaking equipment the larger wineries have. They make the wine closer to the “old fashioned” techniques of years gone by. That is not to say that these winemakers are not up on the latest advances in winemaking: they most certainly are. What gives the Spring Mountain winemakers a tremendous advantage is the fact that they must work with the grapes they grow and cannot go out into the market and buy to fruit to fill in or change the direction a wine takes as the big wineries can and often do.

             The growers in the Spring Mountain District carefully husband their vine so that they get the best out of their grapes. A really bad year can be disastrous. The recent California rains could have caused havoc at most of the Napa Valley vineyards but the fact that the Spring Mountain vineyards are located on mountainside terrain from 400 to 2100 feet above sea level, the rain water simply drained off to the lowlands and creeks at the floor of the valley.

             Although most of the names of the wine producers of the Spring Mountain District may not be too well known to you, we can assure you that their wines are worth the time and trouble it may take to seek them out. It may even be necessary to find some of them via the internet.  These are the wines that are known as “The Boutique Wineries of the Napa Valley.” They are little known, except to those of use who will take the time to seek out a truly fine wine and refuse to be relegated only to those available on supermarket or store shelves. To aid your search we will list a few of the wineries in the Spring Mountain district with some brief notes about them.

Barnett Vineyards 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon ($65) Big, expansive, full flavored cab that has just about everything one looks for in the variety. A real treat.

Fife Vineyards 2000 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon ($45) An easy to drink full bodied cab that displays the mineral depth the area is famous for.

Robert Keenan 2002 Reserve Merlot ($56). This merlot can hold its own against the best of the best from Europe. Not a simple wine at all but deep and complex. A merlot to remember.

Juslyn Estate 2002 “Red” ($85) the simple name hides a masterfully made wine of grand, almost imperial proportions. Full bodied and of great depth this wine is a true masterpiece.

Spring Mountain Vineyards 2003 Syrah ($50) A grand, well balanced wine, intense in color, and accentuating the aromas of ripe summer fruit, dark raisins, spice and just a hint of chocolate. The flavor is a melding of cherries, plums, vanilla, and oak. There is also a soft tannic structure to ensure many years of life for this wine.

Cain Vineyard 2002 Cain Five ($100). We have had many expensive wines but very few ever live up to expectations. This one does. The flavor seems never ending and the finish is one of the longest we have experienced. We can describe it with one word; glorious.

Marston Vineyards 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon ($80) If there was any doubt that California could produce world class wines the wines of the Spring Mountain district and more specifically Marston Vineyard, proves that they certainly can and do. A very great wine.

             Available space does not permit us to mention them all but the wines of the Spring  Mountain district deserve the attention of any serious wine lover. These are the wines that the Napa Valley proper was supposed to produce. It is good to see that the torch has not been extinguished but passed to a new breed of winemakers interested in quality rather than profit and production.  Bravo  Spring Mountain.