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Cuvaison
winery is situated on the historic Silverado Trail
in northern Napa Valley. In 1969 Thomas Cotrell and
Thomas Parkhill, both Silicon Valley engineers, founded
Cuvaison with a 27-acre vineyard at the winery’s
present location. New York publisher Oakleigh Thorne
purchased the winery in 1974 and then appointed the
Swiss-born Philip Togni as Winemaker. In 1979, the
Schmidheiny family of Switzerland purchased Cuvaison
as well as 400 acres of prime vineyard land in the
Carneros region in southern Napa Valley. The fall
of 1998 marked the purchase of the historic 170-acre
Brandlin Ranch on Mt. Veeder.
John Thacher took over the winemaking in 1982. In
1988, he was selected as Winemaker of the Year by
“Wine & Spirits” magazine and then became
President in 1998. With John’s departure at the
end of 2001, Jay Schuppert became President and Steven
Rogstad took over as Head Winemaker. Steven oversees
all vineyard operations at both the Carneros and Brandlin
Ranch estates.
Steven
uses the finest equipment and French oak barrels in
the fermentation of Chardonnay and in the aging process
of Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Estate Selection
wines – all of which are planted at the winery’s
400 acre estate in the Carneros region – as well
as Cabernet Sauvignon, which comes from the St. Helena,
Howell Mountain and Calistoga regions of the Napa
Valley. All Cuvaison grapes are harvested by hand.
The philosophy of Cuvaison wines echoes Steven Rogstad’s
winemaking in stating, "Our wines must be the
unique expression of the singular sites from which
they come, it's our wonderful vineyards that shape
the style of each wine and that's as it should be."
Cuvaison
Estate Wines produces approximately 63,000 cases per
year, 65% of which is Chardonnay. Today, Cuvaison
wines are distributed in all 50 states and are presented
in over 25 international markets, first class airlines
services such as British Airways, and China Airlines
and on cruise lines such as Holland America, Carnival,
Seabourn and Crystal . Approximately 20% of Cuvaison’s
production is sold internationally each year.
Bordered
on the north by Sonoma and on the south by the San
Pablo Bay lies the appellation of Carneros. Originally
sheep pasture ("Carneros" means sheep in
Spanish), the land was turned into vineyards in the
late 1830s. Although it started early on, the development
of this land into vineyards was slow. Cuvaison was
one of the first to recognize this land for its stellar
wine growing potential, with a climate that is characterized
by fog and cool breezes from the San Pablo Bay, gently
rolling hills and hard clay soils. The morning fog
keeps the grapes from heating up too quickly, while
the afternoon wind lowers leaf temperature and dries
the dew left by the morning fog, preventing the harmful
growth of mildew and mold. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir
and Merlot thrive in this environment and are characterized
as elegant, crisp wines with pronounced fruit nuances
Cuvaison
expanded its vineyard holdings in 1998, augmenting
its estate wines program with the purchase of the
historic 170-acre Brandlin Vineyard in the Mount Veeder
range on the southwest side of the Napa Valley. Composed
of gravelly clay loam soil over shale, the vineyard
lies on a ridgeline overlooking Napa Valley. The site
has been planted with 32 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon
and small amounts of Petite Verdot, Malbec and Cabernet
Franc.
Pioneers in mountain wine grape growing since settling
on Mount Veeder in the 1870s, the Brandlins were an
integral part of the rugged landscape when they founded
their own vineyard in 1926. This noble site remains
home to many of its original vines and to Chester
Brandlin himself.
“We brought to Brandlin Vineyard all the lessons
of Cuvaison’s 30 years of viticulture - great
care in the study of sun exposures and soil types,
and profound respect for the environment,” says
winemaker Steve Rogstad. “Our intention has been
to honor the Brandlin family with a namesake vineyard
that produces intense and elegant Cabernet Sauvignon.”
Only a fraction of the site’s acreage is planted
to vines, leaving the majority to native oaks and
other indigenous vegetation. Divided into 15 sustainably-farmed
blocks, the vineyard showcases the varied aspects
in sun exposure, slope and soil composition. Vines
endure the drought stress typical of mountain vineyards,
known for producing powerful wines.
“You cannot taste Brandlin Vineyard Cabernet
Sauvignon without acknowledging the impact of the
site…” says Steve. “ Steep rocky soils
and a moderate climate render an intense, black fruited
concentration and powerful backbone of tannin that
make this wine so unique.”
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