Napa, with a twist

Napa, with a twist
Napa may have a reputation as a magnet for privilege and corporate
riches, but dig deeper and you’ll find pockets of nonconformity.
Laura Rafaty meets five winemakers who aren’t afraid to do things differently
Marc Mondavi CK Mondavi
The son of Peter Sr and nephew of
Robert was born with another
exceptional gift: he is a water witch,
predicting the subterranean
location of that precious liquid
using rods fashioned from
particular woods and metals – even
a coat hanger – as a conduit. ‘You’re
either born with the ability or you
aren’t,’ he explains. ‘The rods react
more strongly to some people than
others.’ This I can vouch for – I felt a
pull and a twitch with the rods in
my hands, but that’s all. Having
previously associated water
witching with Ouija boards, mood
rings and fortune-telling fish,
though, my scepticism vanished on
seeing Mondavi in action. Set loose
on a parched patch of vineyard
land, he whipped out his favourite
copper divining rods and pointed
them like pistols as he questioned
some sympathetic aqua deity: ‘Is
there water here?’ The rods answer
‘yes’ by crossing to form a perfect X
– marking the spot where drilling
holds promise.
Mondavi’s well witching, also
known as dowsing, inspired the
launch of The Divining Rod, the
first new label from St Helena’s CK
Mondavi Family Vineyards in 60
years, via the Santa Lucia Highlands
Chardonnay 2010 and Alexander
Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2010.
So what does it cost to have a
world-class winemaker walk your
property clicking sticks? His
witching services are currently
complementary, but the wines will
set you back around $17.
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Janet Trefethen
Trefethen Family Vineyards
OVER AT TREFETHEN Family Vineyards in Napa,
Janet Trefethen prefers seeking out one rather
resilient ghost. The winery was constructed in
1886 by Hamden McIntyre, a Scottish sea captain
turned architect. His ghost still haunts the place,
Trefethen claims, although she prefers the term
‘spirit’ to describe her spooky sidekick. Navigate the
narrow stairs to the top floor of the eerie old wooden
building, where bats flap overhead and no winery
dog has willingly ventured for half a century, and
you’ll find the spot where Trefethen and McIntyre
meet. ‘I feel his positive presence here,’ she says,
‘especially at dusk.’ She doesn’t see McIntyre, but
‘senses’ him, though employees and visitors have
both claimed sightings – and the distinct aroma of
his pipe tobacco reportedly wafts through the rafters.
Trefethen claims McIntyre favours this among
several local wineries he designed because it
remains essentially intact: ‘He knows his way
around.’ As well as sharing an ethereal aspect
(Trefethen looked over my shoulder several times
during our conversation, as if McIntyre were
hovering there), the pair share a visionary kinship.
Just as the Scot revolutionised Napa winery
architecture in the 1800s, Trefethen and her
husband John helped to transform Napa wine in the
1970s. And because Riesling grapes grew here
during McIntyre’s time, Janet maintains the Oak
Knoll District Dry Riesling as a nod to history. So if
you taste Trefethen wine and notice a slightly
spectral scent with notes of smoke and seawater, it
may be because McIntyre has been making himself
at home in the cellar. ➢
Photographs: Bruce Fleming(2)
Bay of Fires Tasmania
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Jan Shrem Clos Pegase
No profile of maverick winemakers
would be complete without a
protest against the powers that be.
Jan Shrem, of Calistoga’s Clos
Pegase, successfully fought off the
Feds for a noble cause: the
preservation of a penis.
For 10 years, Shrem
challenged what he
called ‘paternalistic’
censorship of his wine
label, which featured an
abstract painting of a
male nude by Jean
Dubuffet (pictured, right).
Forced to axe the penis
upon initial release of
the Hommage Cabernet
1988, he reissued the label intact
for the 1998 vintage, now known
as The Full Monty. The Hommage
remains his flagship wine, in both
its Cabernet and Chardonnay
styles. Shrem, a serious art
collector, hired noted
architect Michael
Graves to conjure a
slightly surreal temple
to wine and art for his
winery, encompassing
an eclectic sculpture
collection. Aged 82,
Shrem’s been around
for a while, but he still
seems like a rebellious
kid with a dream.
John Williams Frog’s Leap
Celebrated winemaker John Williams
holds sway at Frog’s Leap (a red barn
winery designed by our old friend
Hamden McIntyre in 1884). The
archetypal Californian hippie capitalist,
he seems mellow and laid back, yet
vigorously racks up ‘firsts’: first Napa
winery with certified organically
grown grapes, first California LEEDcertified wine-industry building, and
first LEED-certified greenhouse.
‘Sustainability is smart business,’
explains the eco-entrepreneur. His
winery complex is a refined organic
fantasy – green but glossy – 100% solar
powered and meticulously manicured.
The vegetable patch is also a booming
industry, providing 50 crops to local
businesses. Williams, a compost
crusader, holds ‘dirt tastings’ so
visitors can savour the quality of his
rich, living soil, and touts his classic
Cabernet as tasting of the legendary
Rutherford Dust. He affably apologises
to an earthworm displaced when we
dig the dirt, and welcomes bug-eating
bluebirds and gopher-gobbling owls
and hawks with handmade houses. He
also nurtures humans: all winery
farmworkers are full-time employees
with benefits. His website quotes Lao
Tzu: ‘He who shines dims his own
light.’ Williams still stands out among
the best and the brightest.
➢
‘He affably apologises to an earthworm displaced
when we dig the dirt, and welcomes bug-eating
bluebirds and gopher-gobbling owls’
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Gary Jaffe Jaffe Estate
At Jaffe Estate winery in St Helena, the terroir
beneath our toes isn’t nearly as important as the
sky overhead. Passionate stargazers, the Jaffes built
a research-grade observatory smack in the middle
of their vineyard. Gary Jaffe, dubbed the ‘Galactic
Commander’ by wife Pam, uses a special sun-scope
to make some sort-of-scientific observations: ‘After
three or four years of relative quiet, the sun is now
entering a cycle of higher energy,’ he says. ‘This
means there will be a phenomenal summer of
grape-growing, with heat spreading out over the
season, promising more intensely flavoured fruit.’
The Metamorphosis Cabernet and
Transformation Cabernet/Merlot feature clever
planet-like labels celebrating this véraison (the
French word for ripening from the light and
warmth of the sun). Jaffe credits his own sunny
outlook to the perspective gained by observing our
relative insignificance in the vast universe. And
witnessing newly visible celestial events from 20
million years ago reminds him that, cosmically
speaking, a million years is a mere moment.
‘Patience is a big part of being a vintner and also of
being an astronomer,’ he explains. It is comforting
to know that if a giant meteor is ever headed our
way, the Jaffes can not only warn us, they can pour
us a nice glass of wine while we wait for impact.
‘It’s comforting to know that if a giant meteor is ever headed our way, the Jaffes can
not only warn us, they can pour us a nice glass of wine while we wait for impact’
Photographs: Bruce Fleming; J Sullivan
Dario Sattui Castello di Amorosa
They say every man’s home is his castle, but when
Dario Sattui (pictured here on the right with builder and
architect Paolo Ardito) built his Castello di Amorosa
winery near Calistoga five years ago, he got
characteristically carried away. The 121,000sq ft
castle includes a moat, drawbridge and towers, and
houses a torture chamber complete with rack,
beheading block, cranium crusher and an authentic
300-year-old iron maiden, lined with spikes to
impale victims. Such a meticulous approach might
border on madness, but Sattui says he ‘can’t do things
any other way’. This isn’t Disneyland, but Darioland:
a people-friendly world where the tasting room
includes a kids’ table with colouring books, and dogs
are welcome too. The showy surroundings
sometimes overshadow the award-winning wines,
which are crafted with the same attention to detail,
notably the highly rated Il Barone Reserve Cabernet
Sauvignon and Napa Valley Chardonnay 2010. Still,
for Sattui, who also runs V Sattui winery in St Helena:
‘Wine is the medium, but it’s about having fun. If I
give people pleasure, and make a buck, I’m happy.’ D
Laura Rafaty is a columnist for the St Helena Star
and writes the blog ‘Up the Valley’
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