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Macauley: Sweet Danger

The Macauley Vineyard label was originally established in St. Helena in the early 1980s by Ann Macauley Watson and for several years produced a very well received late harvest Sauvignon Blanc with help from renowned winemaker, Rick Forman.

In the late summer of 2000, Ann’s son Mac, went to work for Rudd Estate in Oakville. After several months of winery work and education, Mac was inspired to revive the family label, after a 13-year hiatus. With help from childhood friend and winemaker Kirk Venge, he crushed his first grapes in October of 2001.

Mac and Kirk have one goal: to source the highest quality fruit in Napa Valley and make wines of extraordinary depth and personality. The grapes they choose showcase the terroir of the vineyards and create a remarkable wine-drinking experience.

“Dulce Periculum” is the Macauley clan motto. Many have inquired over the years as to the meaning of this Latin text that appears on the Macauley label. When Mac decided to incorporate the family crest into his label, it was important to him not to omit these two words. The phrase, which translates to “sweet danger”, epitomizes his relationship with wine. It is the anticipation and moment of discovery he experiences as a collector of wine. It is ever present in Mac’s journey as a vintner. As Mac says: “It is the thrill of each harvest as the elements of that year and my own judgment culminate in the formation of a unique vintage. It is my relationship to a particular vintage”. Dulce Periculum is the appreciation Mac feels for the ephemeral nature of wine, while relishing its bold essence.

“It is the thrill of each harvest as the elements of that year and my own judgment culminate in the formation of a unique vintage. It is my relationship to a particular vintage”

The Winemaker

Second-generation winemaker Kirk Venge grew up in the Napa Valley. At his father’s side, he learned about farming and winemaking, feeling at home in the cellar at an early age. While pursuing his enology degree at the University of California at Davis, Venge worked at Mumm Napa Valley for five years in their experimental division. Upon graduation, Venge sought to expand his winemaking knowledge by traveling to New Zealand and working harvest in the southern hemisphere. Equipped with a broader sense of viticultural techniques, Venge returned to Napa to partner with his father in the creation of Venge Vineyards. Today, Venge brings his skill and passion to Macauley Vineyard. Those who know Kirk Venge will attest to his acute palate. His wines reflect balance and finesse. Because Kirk believes that wines are made in the vineyard, he is relentless in his quest to find the very best vineyard locations and sources of fruit.

The Vineyards

To Kalon
Originally planted in 1868 by pioneer viticulturist Hamilton W. Crabb, the historic To Kalon Vineyard provides grapes for some of the Napa Valley’s most sought after wines including Harlan Estate, Bacio Divino, Carter, Schrader, Paul Hobbs and Macauley.

To Kalon is Greek for “highest quality” or “greatest beauty”. The vineyard sits at the base of the Mayacamas Mountain Range in the Oakville AVA and is managed by the famed Andy Beckstoffer whose passion for growing the best grapes possible is legendary in the Napa Valley.

Mac’s To Kalon Cabernet Sauvignon is a Clone 337 on 110 R rootstock and was planted in the early 1990’s. The clay and loam alluvial soils of the appellation give the vines very deep roots with excellent drainage. The berries are small and the bunches are tight, making for a concentrated and flavourful wine of “highest quality” and “greatest beauty”.

Star Vineyard
Originally a collaboration of the late Reg Oliver, Ric Forman and David Abreu, Star Vineyard grows in the heart of the Rutherford Appellation. Its location on the west side of Highway 29 in the middle of the Rutherford “Bench” means the vines get wonderful sun exposure and sink their roots into deep, well drained alluvial soils. This is one of the valley’s most celebrated spots for grape growing.

The vines of Star Vineyard have produced consistently delightful wines, including Forman, El Molino and St. Clemente. Mac gets his Cabernet Sauvignon from the most historic, most long running Star Vineyard block. A fifty-fifty split of Clone 7 and Martha’s on 110 R stock, these vines took root under the dedicated care of Reg Oliver in 1991. They are now managed by David Abreu, one of the most sought after vineyard consultants in California

Stagecoach Vineyard
It is here that the Krupp brothers, Jan and Bart, have excavated over a billion pounds of basalt, andesite, and tufa boulders to create a remarkable property – Stagecoach Vineyard. In recent years, Stagecoach Vineyard has become one of the most renowned vineyards in Napa Valley. It rises 900 feet above sea level and continues to climb to nearly 1,850 feet at its highest elevations on the southern side of the Oakville appellation’s Pritchard Hill. Blessed with south-facing slopes filled with shallow, volcanic soils, the site’s rugged terroir is ideal for growing intensely coloured Cabernet Sauvignon grapes rich with mineral and mountain flavours.

Click here to find out more about the wines of Macauley Vineyard in British Columbia or click here for Alberta

The Joy of Wine

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Wine is a product of nature. But nature is rarely under its very best conditions. Most of the time very good wine is the product of nature being gently guided by the hand and wisdom of man. Guiding the land through its cycles from dormant vines in winter sleep, through the growing season, the wine making, aging, and finally bringing the finished wine to the table. The balance between the product of nature and the guiding of the hand of man is the essence of the finest of wines and the philosophy at Rombauer Vineyards.

If you know nothing else about Rombauer Vineyards, know this: The company is all about family and “The Joy of Wine” (it’s even emblazoned on the corks). The genesis of the notion came from Koerner Rombauer’s great aunt Irma Rombauer, the original author of the seminal cookbook, The Joy of Cooking. Following Aunt Irma’s lead, Koerner approaches life with an equally joyous attitude, from motoring about in one of his vintage automobiles and piloting his Cessna jet to the flavour-packed Napa Valley wines he and winemaker Richie Allen fashion each fall. The entire family works closely together, on a day-to-day basis, to craft ultra-premium varietal wines from California’s best grape-growing regions.

Koerner Rombauer was born and raised in Southern California, in the small, agricultural town of Escondido near San Diego. He attended public schools in Escondido and went to the same high school as Joan Ransome, who would later (in 1959) become his wife. Koerner’s first great career passion was flying; he began with the California Air National Guard in 1956.

Upon leaving the service in 1965, Koerner became a commercial pilot with Braniff International. He and the family, including two children by then, moved to Dallas, Texas. Koerner flew as a captain on Braniff’s South American route.

In 1972, the Rombauer’s moved their family, two horses, and five dogs to the Napa Valley. They chose the area because it reminded them of the small-town, agricultural environment in which they had been raised and it appeared to be a clean, safe place to raise children. They purchased 20 acres of beautiful hilltop land on the Silverado Trail, near the town of St. Helena.

“The vineyards make the wine. I like to keep individual lots separate as long as possible so that their distinctive character can develop. I like each wine to follow its own pattern, rather than trying to force it into some preconceived pattern. The real artistic challenge is in blending these small, barrel-aged lots, and producing the best possible outcome for each vintage. I like to bring the growers in to taste with us, to see what everybody’s contributing to the final blend, and ask a lot of ‘What if?’ questions. All that feedback really helps.” – Richie Allen, Winemaker

When the Rombauer’s moved to Napa Valley they had no intention of starting a winery. They did, however, have a great appreciation for the role of wine in the fine dining experience. It didn’t take long in their new surroundings before they became fascinated with the wine industry and, in 1976, they became partners in Conn Creek Winery.

Although the first harvest was in 1980, the wines for that vintage were crafted at Shafer Vineyards in Yountville. Rombauer Vineyards was officially founded in 1982 by Koerner and Joan Rombauer. The winery features caves that extend for over a mile into the hillside. The caves provide a constant temperature and humidity that result in optimum conditions for aging the wines.

Rombauer wines are consistently ranked high in the wine trade journals. Many of the finest restaurants throughout the country include Rombauer wines on their list and feature them by the glass. The joy of wine is something that’s important to Rombauer. Whether you are a collector of fine wines or like to have wine with food, wine is something that truly should be enjoyed. Rombauer Vineyards puts a lot of hard work and tender care into making fine wines. And because wine is a simple product to enjoy, emphasis is given to taking the mystique out of enjoying fine wines.

The emphasis on the joy of wine comes from the heritage of the Rombauer family. Koerner’s ancestors made wine in the famous Reingau region in Germany and as mentioned earlier, his great aunt, Irma Rombauer, wrote the book The Joy of Cooking. Hence the focus on wine as complements to good food and good friends. Every family member is actively involved in the day-to-day operation of the winery from selecting grapes for the winemaking process and getting the wine to market.

The Rombauers produce several varietal wines, such as Carneros Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Estate Grown Zinfandel from the vineyard below the winery, and a blended reserve wine called Le Meilleur Du Chai, which means the Best of the Cellar.  At Rombauer Vineyards, they take the time to hand craft and nurture their wines. Season after season, year after year. They’re pleased to say the fruits of their labor have paid off. At wine competitions and where it counts – in every glass.

Mrs. Rombauer passed away in December 2002, but left a legacy of two children, five grandchildren, and the winery.

The Winemaker

Richie Allen joined Rombauer Vineyards in 2004 as an intern. The winemaking team liked him so much that they offered him full-time employment as Enologist. He became the Assistant Winemaker in 2005, then Winemaker in 2008. Prior to working at Rombauer Vineyards, Richie worked at Penfolds and Oakridge in Australia as well as in New Zealand at Church Road in Hawkes’ Bay and Vavasour in the Marlborough region.

The Vineyards

“The vineyards make the wine. I like to keep individual lots separate as long as possible so that their distinctive character can develop. I like each wine to follow its own pattern, rather than trying to force it into some preconceived pattern. The real artistic challenge is in blending these small, barrel-aged lots, and producing the best possible outcome for each vintage. I like to bring the growers in to taste with us, to see what everybody’s contributing to the final blend, and ask a lot of ‘What if?’ questions. All that feedback really helps.” – Richie Allen

HOME: 7 acres, Zinfandel (Joan’s Vineyard)
ATLAS PEAK: 20 acres, Cabernet Sauvignon
CARNEROS: 210 acres, 200 acres Chardonnay and 10 acres Merlot
HACKETT (Stags Leap District): 5 acres, Cabernet Sauvignon
HIGH RANCH (Calistoga): 40 acres, predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon
STICE LANE (St. Helena): 30 acres, Cabernet Sauvignon

Click here to find out more about the wines of Rombauer in British Columbia

Video: Truchard Vineyards

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Truchard Vineyards was established in 1974, when Tony and Jo Ann Truchard came to the Carneros region of the Napa Valley and purchased a 20 acre parcel of land. They transformed what was an abandoned prune orchard into a vineyard and began selling the fruit to a local winery. Through hard work and dedication they quickly developed a reputation as one of the outstanding vineyards in Carneros. Over the past 31 years the Truchard Estate Vineyard has grown to 400 acres, of which 270 acres are planted. The Truchards now sell grapes to more than 20 premiere Napa Valley wineries.

The Truchard Estate Vineyard is a series of hills and valleys, which contain a variety of soils: clay, shale, sandstone, volcanic rock and ash. The various combinations of terrain, geology, and marine-moderated temperatures provide unique winegrowing conditions. Currently the vineyard grows 10 different grape varieties, making it one of the most diverse estate vineyards in California.

In 1989, the Truchards began making wine for themselves using only their estate-grown fruit. An old barn on the property was converted into a winery; this barn became the symbol for Truchard Vineyards and adorns the top of the wine label. With the addition of a 10,500 square foot wine cave, the winery has become a beautiful, modern facility. Only 20% of the grapes from the Truchard Estate Vineyard are reserved for Truchard wines. The winery makes 11 different wines, producing a total of 16,000 cases per year.

Truchard wines are produced with the vineyard in mind. They’ve always considered themselves “a big vineyard and a small winery”. The wines are hand-crafted using traditional winemaking techniques and exemplify the high quality fruit of the Truchard Estate Vineyard. They are truly: “wines with a sense of place”.

Click here to find out more about the wines of Truchard Vineyards in British Columbia