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Rutherford, Calif. – Beckstoffer Vineyards today announced a new subsidiary lineup separating the vineyard holding company from the farming services company. The new company will be named Beckstoffer Vineyards Properties and will be a sister subsidiary company to the already established Beckstoffer Vineyards Farming Services Company.

Beckstoffer Vineyards has filed a lawsuit in the Northern District Federal Court in San Francisco against Last Bottle and its affiliated company Sleeper Cellars for trademark infringement. The Complaint, filed on February 11, 2023, alleges that Blicker Pierce Wagner Wine Merchants, LLC and its affiliated companies, Sleeper Cellars and Last Bottle, willfully committed trademark infringement by placing the Beckstoffer trademark on the front label of a wine without authorization.

The wine, which was bottled or labeled by Sleeper Cellars, was sold on Last Bottle in early February, and used the name “Beckstoffer To Kalon” on the front label. Seemingly acknowledging that the conduct was unlawful, Last Bottle promoted the wine stating, “There’s a lot more secret stuff we CAN’T tell you about…but really, we already let the cat out of the bag when we typed “Beckstoffer To Kalon”–no doubt our legal counsel is furious…not to mention the all-powerful To Kalon Illuminati.”

The Complaint further names a party as DOE 1 and alleges that DOE 1 sold the wine to Sleeper Cellars in breach of its Grape Purchase Agreement with Beckstoffer Vineyards. Once that party is identified, it will be added to the lawsuit.

Beckstoffer Vineyards’ wine business counsel Daniel Reidy states: “It is puzzling why these wine companies would place these valuable and well-known trademarks on a wine label without authorization. But then to brag about the unlawfulness via a marketing promotion boggles the mind.” Reidy adds, “Typically, when we see wine label infringements it is because someone got too close to a mark or missed it in a search. In those cases, we try to find a solution short of legal action. This incident does not appear to be anything of the sort, and my client had little choice but to file this lawsuit to protect its winery licensees’ rights.”

Andy Beckstoffer, the owner of Beckstoffer Vineyards, states: “We have worked hard over the past 50 years to ensure truthfulness and integrity to all that we do and to protect our winery licensees’ rights to the Beckstoffer marks and vineyard designates. It flies in the face of our winery licensees, who invest substantial resources to buy our grapes and sell their wine. We cannot allow an unlicensed party to flaunt the law and damage our winery licensees.”

Rutherford, Calif.– Jim Lincoln has been named Senior Vineyard and Environmental Sustainability Manager of Beckstoffer Vineyards Farming Company. This is a new role at Beckstoffer Vineyards, demonstrating its commitment to Sustainability.

An Oakville native, Jim Lincoln has been the Vineyard Manager for Beckstoffer Vineyards Farming Services’ 524 acres of vineyards in Carneros for more than two decades. He has initiated sustainability programs in Carneros, including recycled water, green certifications, and conservation advocacy. Jim will now contribute his sustainability and regenerative agriculture expertise to all of Beckstoffer’s Napa vineyards and look for new ways for Beckstoffer to continue to innovate in all areas of sustainability. Jim’s service to the Napa Valley community, particularly in water supply management, quality, and conservation, has contributed to the overall reputation, quality, and legacy of the Napa Valley wine grape community.

Jim began his professional employment with Swanson Vineyards in 1987, and in 1996 he moved Atlas Peak and William Hill Vineyards. In 2000, he began his employment with Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, before joining Beckstoffer Vineyards in 2002. Jim holds Bachelor of Sciences in Agricultural Sciences and Management from the University of California at Davis.

Jim was awarded Napa County Farm Bureau’s Agriculturist of the Year for 2012. Jim served as County Chair of Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee of the Farm Bureau from 1988-1990, was on Bay Area Air Quality Management District Advisory Committee from 1992-1996, and has been Napa County Farm Bureau Natural Resources (Water) Committee Chair from 2004-2018. He was Watershed Task Force Member from 1999-2002 and a Watershed Information Center Conservancy Board Member from 2008-2012. Jim was the Napa County Farm Bureau Director from 1990-2014 and again 2017-2018 and served as President 1997-1999 and 2009-2011. He currently serves as the President of the Los Carneros Water District, and he has been a Board Member since 2020. He is also the past President and current Board Member of the Napa County Resource Conservation District.

Virginia Tech’s University Distinguished Achievement Award is given to an individual with nationally distinguished achievement, whether personal and/or professional, in any field or endeavor of enduring significance and value to society. For 2023, the prestigious university will below this award on Richmond, Virginia native and Virginia Tech graduate W. Andrew “Andy” Beckstoffer, America’s most famous vineyard owner, noted land preservationist, and sustainability pioneer and innovator, at commencement on May 12, 2023.

Few have made a larger impact on the evolution of Northern California’s wine industry than Andy Beckstoffer of Beckstoffer Vineyards, who has been named “Napa’s most powerful grape grower” by both the Wall Street Journal and Wine Spectator. For more than 50 years, Beckstoffer Vineyards has been at the forefront of putting Napa Valley and California wine on the global stage, forging significant shifts in how the industry values the land, the grapes, and the farmers. Beckstoffer’s ever-growing portfolio of premium vineyard sites consistently produces the highest quality Cabernet Sauvignon grapes in Northern California. The company continues to play the role of an industry leader, focusing on technology-driven, precision farming, with an unwavering focus on land conservation and agricultural sensitivity, as well as sustainability in the face of climate change.

Beckstoffer Vineyards owns approximately 4,000 acres of vineyards Napa, Mendocino, and Lake Counties, including some of Napa’s most historic vineyard properties. In 1983, Beckstoffer Vineyards purchased its first Heritage Vineyard, Las Piedras in St. Helena. Later came To Kalon–arguably the most famous American vineyard–Georges III, Missouri Hopper, Dr. Crane and Bourn. Beckstoffer sells this fruit to a carefully selected group of winemakers, who collectively produce more than 100 vineyard-designated wines that originate entirely from a Beckstoffer Heritage Vineyard. These wines are consistently awarded 95+ scores and other accolades.

Andy, born in Richmond, Virginia, earned a B.S. in Construction Management, Engineering at Virginia Tech in 1961 and an M.B.A. at Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth in 1966. Andy has been named Grower of the Year three times, by three different organizations: in 2005 by COPIA: The American Center for Wine, Food & the Arts, in 2006 by the Napa Valley Grapegrowers Association–their first bestowal of the award–and in 2015 by the California Association of Winegrape Growers. He was also named Agriculturalist of the Year twice, in 2007 by the Napa County Farm Bureau and in 2016 by the 12 District California Agricultural Association. In 2007, Andy received the Wine Industry Leadership Award, the first-ever United States Congressional Wine Caucus Commendation, and in 2010, he was inducted into the Vintners Hall of Fame.

Andy Beckstoffer of Beckstoffer Vineyards announced that he and his wife, Betty, have donated $1 million to the Cal Poly Justin and J. Lohr Center for Wine and Viticulture to fund the Beckstoffer Vineyards Fermentation Hall. The Center, completed in September 2021, will open to students in the winter quarter. This is the largest completely donor-funded capital project in CSU history.

Beckstoffer Vineyards employs four graduates of Cal Poly who are key members of the management and viticulture teams: Dave Michul, President & CEO (1984), Brandon Axell, General Manager, Mendocino (1998), Blake Wood, Vineyard Manager, Napa Valley (2006) and Leonel Soto Mora, Viticulturalist, Red Hills (2018).

Andy Beckstoffer commented, “Cal Poly is a wonderful university, and their viticulture program is excellent. This new facility will further enhance that program. Cal Poly has produced some of the most talented viticulturalists and vineyard managers in the world, and we are especially proud that they allowed us to be to be a part of this program. We made this gift to honor the program, the four Cal Poly graduates that form the major part of our viticulture team and all of the Cal Poly graduates who contribute so much to the premium wine business.”

The Beckstoffer Vineyards Fermentation Hall in the Winery is the largest space inside the JUSTIN and J. LOHR Center for Wine and Viticulture, and it provides a place for students to gain hands-on winemaking experience using state-of-the- art equipment and industry practices. Here they will produce Cal Poly’s commercial wines as well as their own experimental varieties and blends. Every wine and viticulture student will gain invaluable learn-by-doing experiences in the Hall, preparing them for a successful career in this ever-changing industry.

Cal Poly has the largest undergraduate wine and viticulture program of its kind in the nation with nearly 300 students enrolled. It is the only program to emphasize the three major elements of the wine industry: viticulture, enology, and wine business.

ABOUT CAL POLY’S COLLEGE of AGRICULTURE, FOOD AND ENVIRONMEMTAL SCIENCES

Cal Poly is a nationally ranked, comprehensive polytechnic university. The university’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences is comprised of expert faculty members who take pride in their ability to transform academically motivated students into innovative professionals ready to solve the complex challenges associated with feeding the world in sustainable ways. Students have access to state-of-the-art laboratories, including organic and conventional crop land, orchards, vineyards, forests, and rangeland, all of which provide the basis for Cal Poly’s Learn by Doing methodology. It is the fifth- largest college of agriculture in the country with more than 4,100 undergraduate students. For more information visit CAFES.calpoly.edu.

ABOUT BECKSTOFFER VINEYARDS

Named “Napa’s most powerful grape grower” by both the Wall Street Journal and Wine Spectator, Beckstoffer Vineyards was founded in 1970. Beckstoffer Vineyards is firmly rooted in the soil of Northern California’s wine country, with Andy Beckstoffer playing an integral role in the evolution of the wine grape industry since 1970. Beckstoffer Vineyards’ goal is to produce the highest quality grapes in Northern California that form the foundation of exceptional wines, as well as a passion for preservation of the land and viticultural expertise.

Andy Beckstoffer of Beckstoffer Vineyards today announced that the company will be donating $100,000 to directly to individuals, not organizations, most in need in Napa, Mendocino and Lake Counties. Beckstoffer Vineyards will write more than 100 checks of $300 for each of the three counties totaling approximately $33,000 per county. The Chambers of Commerce of each county will be determining what individuals and families will receive the checks, which are primarily earmarked for hourly workers who have lost their jobs due to layoffs from COVID-19, including hotel housekeepers, dishwashers, waitstaff, busboys and more. The checks from Beckstoffer Vineyards will be issued directly to individuals, not to the Chambers of Commerce or other organizations. There will be no administrative costs or fees.

“We are fortunate that at Beckstoffer Vineyards, we haven’t laid off any staff as grape growing has been deemed an ‘essential business.’ However, with restaurant closures and reduced tourism, we recognize that many in the hospitality industry have been suddenly been laid off, meaning that many of the already lowest wage earners, have now lost their income completely. Beckstoffer Vineyards has grown grapes in these three counties for the past 50 years, and we care about the people who live and work there. We are immediately providing help to the people who are most in need,” stated David Beckstoffer, COO, Beckstoffer Vineyards.

“In 2015, Beckstoffer Vineyards pledged $50,000 to the #LakeCountyRising fundraising campaign following the devastating Valley Fire. Our donation and those of other individuals and private companies eventually raised more than $1,000,000 for #LakeCountyRising. We care about the people who work in the counties where we farm and hope that our donation inspires other individuals and companies to donate additional much needed funds,” added Andy Beckstoffer.

Named “Napa’s most powerful grape grower” by both the Wall Street
Journal and Wine Spectator, Beckstoffer Vineyards was founded in 1970. Beckstoffer Vineyards is firmly rooted in the soil of Northern California’s wine country, with Andy Beckstoffer playing an integral role in the evolution of the wine grape industry since 1970. Joined at the family-owned business by his son, David, in 1997, they share a common mission – to produce the highest quality grapes in Northern California that form the foundation for exceptional wines – and a combined passion for preservation of the land and viticulture expertise.

Andy Beckstoffer of Beckstoffer Vineyards today announced the restructuring of his family’s farming and vineyard operations, separating the farming operations from vineyard ownership. Beckstoffer Vineyards will continue to own all vineyards under the family trust. A new Corporation, Beckstoffer Vineyards Farming Services Company, will be formed to operate the 4,000 acres of Beckstoffer vineyards properties in Napa Valley, Mendocino and the Red Hills of Lake County. Andy Beckstoffer stated, “This restructuring is necessary for management succession and estate planning.”

David Beckstoffer, previously President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Beckstoffer Vineyards, will become Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Board Member of the Beckstoffer Vineyards Farming Services Company. David Michul, a 23-year veteran of the company and most recently General Manager of Beckstoffer Vineyards – Napa Valley, will become President and COO of Beckstoffer Vineyards Farming Services Company. Mauricio Soto, previously Vineyard Manager of Napa Valley vineyard properties, will become General Manager of Beckstoffer Vineyards – Napa Valley. Soto is a fourth-generation farmer who has worked for the company since 2014.

Andy Beckstoffer will continue to be Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Beckstoffer Vineyards. “We are extremely pleased that we are able to provide for this management succession entirely from within our current management structure,” stated David Beckstoffer. These management changes will be effective January 1, 2021.

ABOUT BECKSTOFFER VINEYARDS

Beckstoffer Vineyards Restructures its Vineyard & Farming Operations

Named “Napa’s most powerful grape grower” by both the Wall Street Journal and Wine Spectator, Beckstoffer Vineyards was founded in 1970 and is celebrating the company’s 50th anniversary in 2020. Beckstoffer Vineyards is firmly rooted in the soil of Northern California’s wine country, with Andy Beckstoffer playing an integral role in the evolution of the wine grape industry since 1970. Joined at the family-owned business by his son, David, in 1997, they share a common mission – to produce the highest quality grapes in Northern California that form the foundation for exceptional wines – and a combined passion for preservation of the land and viticulture expertise. Today,
the company is arguably the largest producer of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, value-wise, in the world.

Andy Beckstoffer, perhaps the most recognized California grower of wine grapes, announced today that Beckstoffer Vineyards has purchased the 220-acre Clear Mountain Vineyard from Treasury Wine Estates. Beckstoffer will be renaming the vineyard Amber Mountain Vineyard, in recognition of the red volcanic soils of the Red Hills and as a nod to the company’s nearby Red Hills vineyards, Amber Knolls and Crimson Ridge.

The vineyard formerly known as Clear Mountain was planted in the 1980’s by Napa’s Beringer Winery and has long been a hallmark for Cabernet Sauvignon production in the Red Hills. Its grape and wine quality influenced Beckstoffer’s decision to begin his Red Hills involvement in 1997, which subsequently began the modern era of premium vineyard plantings in Lake County.

Since then, Beckstoffer has steadfastly been committed to proving that the Red Hills can produce ultra-premium Cabernet rivaling the best that California has to offer. After first purchasing land in the Red Hills in 1997, in 2004, Andy Beckstoffer and a group of growers established the Red Hills AVA in 2004. In 2016 Beckstoffer Vineyards announced a new Red Hills wine quality research program with outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon winemakers, the results of which shall be announced later in 2019. Additionally, in 2018, Beckstoffer Vineyards further staked its claim in the area, opening their Red Hills Station office.

“We think that the Red Hills has the promise to be the best non-Napa Cabernet Sauvignon in California. There is only one Napa Valley, but we believe the Red Hills Cabernet Sauvignon has the promise to be the most exciting new wine in the entire global New World of Wines,” said Beckstoffer of the purchase and his company’s ongoing investment in and commitment to the Red Hills.

Beckstoffer Buys Historic Red Hills Vineyard

The Red Hills AVA
Established in 2004, the Red Hills AVA is located in the northern Mayacamas Mountains on the southwest edge of Clear Lake. At the foot of Mount Konocti, the AVA is comprised of dozens of volcanic hills ranging from 1,350 to over 3,700 feet above sea level. Grapes are grown in mountain climate conditions with the majority of the AVA’s acreage planted at or over 2,000 feet allowing for greater levels of sunlight. The exposure to sunlight, combined with low humidity and temperate climate create a perfect growing season, allowing grapes to ripen without dramatic fluctuations, resulting in bright, balanced wines with complex flavor.

After the recent acquisition, Beckstoffer Vineyards will own more than 2,000 acres in the Red Hills of Lake County.

ABOUT BECKSTOFFER VINEYARDS

Beckstoffer Buys Historic Red Hills Vineyard

Named “Napa’s most powerful grape grower” by both the Wall Street Journal and Wine Spectator, Beckstoffer Vineyards was founded in 1970. Beckstoffer Vineyards is firmly rooted in the soil of Northern California’s wine country, with Andy Beckstoffer playing an integral role in the evolution of the wine grape industry since 1970. Joined at the family-owned business by his son David in 1997, they share a common mission – to produce the highest quality grapes in Northern California that form the foundation for exceptional wines – and a combined passion for the land and viticulture expertise.

At the forefront of land conservation and labor practices, Beckstoffer Vineyards is committed to bringing agricultural sensitivity, business acumen and technology to the industry as a whole, and to each of the communities in which they do business.

In total, Beckstoffer Vineyards owns and farms roughly 4000 acres of vineyards in Napa Valley, Mendocino County and the Red Hills of Lake County, including some of Napa’s most historic and iconic vineyard properties. The six Heritage Vineyards, with origins dating back to the 19th century, include To Kalon, Dr. Crane, Bourn, Las Piedras, Georges III and Missouri Hopper. Each vineyard has a history and provenance that is unparalleled in California, offering a combination of soil and climate that have historically produced the highest quality Cabernet Sauvignon grapes for the finest wines.

Andy Beckstoffer, perhaps the most recognized California grower of wine grapes, announced that Beckstoffer Vineyards, in partnership with University of California, Davis and Duarte Nursery, has launched a groundbreaking trial addressing climate change and improved grape quality for Cabernet Sauvignon at Beckstoffer’s Amber Knolls Vineyard in the Red Hills of Lake County. University of California, Davis called the trial “the mother of Cabernet research trials.”

“We have been growing cabernet sauvignon since the 1970s, and we are very proud to lead this trial, which will help improve Cabernet Sauvignon quality for years to come,” said Andy Beckstoffer, owner and CEO of Beckstoffer Vineyards, which is providing the land and labor for the project.

Trial Details

The trial—Climate-smart Solutions for Cabernet Sauvignon Production” —officially launched on August 15 and includes 3,600 vines with 10 cabernet sauvignon clones on 10 rootstocks, which will yield approximately 100 rootstock-clone combinations and will measure a staggering amount of data over the trial’s length—approximately eight to ten years. Duarte Nursery is providing all of the planting material for the trial. “The diversity of rootstocks and clones chosen for this project includes some of the most modern cabernet sauvignon clones designed for high quality and for production,” said John Duarte, nursery president.

“This trial will give us data that will help inform and improve growing practices for Cabernet Sauvignon across the state for the next two decades,” said the trial’s lead researcher, S. Kaan Kurtural, UC Cooperative Extension viticulture specialist at UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology and Oakville Experiment Station.

Designed to address resiliency in a changing climate, the trial will examine which combinations of clones and rootstock provide the best results with a focus on drought tolerance and water-use efficiency, as well as crop yield and grape quality. It will also look at canopy architecture, yield components, water relations, traditional fruit chemistries, secondary metabolites such as aroma, mouthfeel and color, as well as overall vine performance.

“The idea behind the trial is to gain further insights into the interactive effects of rootstock selections crossed with Cabernet clones and the impact of that on water relations and overall sustainability,” said Clint Nelson, ranch manager for Beckstoffer Vineyards Red Hills. “The trial will give us an understanding of the synergistic relationship of clone and rootstock and what combination drives the best quality and production,” he said.

Pedro Rubio, Beckstoffer Vineyards Red Hills general manager, said, “Lake County will definitely benefit, but the results from this trial will be critical for the whole industry.”

Beckstoffer Vineyards Cabernet Commitment and Investment in the Red Hills of Lake County
For more than two decades, Beckstoffer Vineyards has been committed to proving that the Red Hills can produce ultra-premium Cabernet that rivals the best that California has to offer. The company first purchased land in the Red Hills in 1997, and in 2004 Andy Beckstoffer and a group of growers established the Red Hills AVA in 2004. Beckstoffer now owns more than 3,000 acres in the Red Hills, with 1800 planted to Cabernet Sauvignon.

About Beckstoffer Vineyards: Named “Napa’s most powerful grape grower” by both the Wall Street Journal and Wine Spectator, Beckstoffer Vineyards was founded in 1970. Beckstoffer Vineyards is firmly rooted in the soil of Northern California’s wine country, with Andy Beckstoffer playing an integral role in the evolution of the wine grape industry since 1970. Joined at the family-owned business by his son David in 1997, they share a common mission – to produce the highest quality grapes in Northern California that form the foundation for exceptional wines – and a combined passion for the land and viticulture expertise. Beckstoffer Vineyards first acquired land in the Red Hills in 1997, which after subsequent acquisitions, today totals nearly 3,000 planted acres across three vineyards: Amber Knolls Vineyard, Crimson Ridge Vineyard, and Amber Mountain Vineyard. In total, Beckstoffer Vineyards owns and farms roughly 4,000 acres of vineyards in Napa Valley, Mendocino County and the Red Hills of Lake County.

In 2018, Beckstoffer vineyards in Napa, Mendocino and Lake Counties produced 9,902 tons of Cabernet Sauvignon valued at $45,617,000 and delivered these grapes to 128 wineries. Beckstoffer is arguably the largest producer of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, value-wise, in the world.

About UC ANR: UC Agriculture and Natural Resources brings the power of UC research in agriculture, natural resources, nutrition and youth development to local communities to improve the lives of all Californians. Learn more at ucanr.edu

About Duarte Nursery: Duarte Nursery, Inc. (DNI) is a family-owned and operated nursery and the largest permanent crops nursery in the United States.

There are plenty of well-worn adages in the wine business. Some are a bit overworn, actually. You’ve surely heard “wine is made in the vineyards.” No one ever argues with it…

As we walk the rows in his To Kalon Vineyard blocks in Oakville, Andy Beckstoffer recites the line. I click my pen open and closed, waiting for something a bit more compelling to happen.

“But that’s B.S,” he says. “Wine is made by winemakers.” My ears perked up. He kept it rolling.

Beckstoffer, 79, draws deep water in Napa Valley. He’s been farming vineyards here since 1969. In 1993 he secured arguably his prize piece, a nearly 90-acre block of vines in To Kalon Vineyard that was being offloaded by Beaulieu Vineyard. Today prime Napa Valley land goes for at least $400,000 an acre, sometimes near $1 million. Beckstoffer got the parcel for $44,000 an acre. And he got it without a fight.

“No, no one else was bidding for it,” he says when I ask who else was in the mix. “It was virused and needed replanting at the time. BV and Bob [Mondavi] didn’t want to deal with it.”

Today Beckstoffer farms 1,000 acres in the valley. The Becksto!er To Kalon fruit goes to 20 di!erent producers and a handful of Napa’s top hired-gun winemakersuse it to produce some of the valley’s most sought-after bottlings [https://www.winespectator.com/magazine/show/id /54753] . And Becksto!er says it’s they who make the wine.

“Well, first thing I ask when someone approaches me to buy fruit is, ‘Who’s the winemaker?'” says Becksto!er.

“To be honest, we don’t tell them how to make wine, and they don’t tell us how to farm,” he says matter-of-factly. “Now sometimes you can get too close to the forest, so if there’s a better way and I can’t see it and they bring it to us, we’ll do it. But generally that doesn’t happen.”

In addition to his portion of To Kalon, Becksto!er holds some of Napa’s “heritage” sites, as he calls them. Vineyards with histories of red wine production going back to the late 19th- century. There’s 300 acres of the Georges III Vineyard, 40 acres in Missouri Hopper, 20 in Dr. Crane, 20 in Las Piedras and 13 in Bourne.

“I never wanted to make wine. I grew up in Smirno! country. I bought United Vintners and then I met farmers,” he says. “And I decided I liked farmers better than salesmen. And I just like farming the land.”

“A great wine region has to do two things. Its wines have to match with foods. And its wines have to stand the test of time. Those heritage vineyards have proven to stand the test of time, as they’ve been making great grapes for over a hundred years. And when they started, it wasn’t Cabernet. It was Mondeuse and things like that. If you can make a Mondeuse that gets famous, and then a Cabernet that gets famous from the same piece of land, that’s special land.”

As we come to a break in the vineyard rows, the parcel facing us is a new replant. It’s a particularly expensive proposition to take the land out of production when it’s this kind of real estate. But virus has eventually worn the block down, and it was time. To mollify his clients, everyone buying fruit from his To Kolan parcels took less fruit, whether their rows were in the block or not. He’ll use the same procedure as he rotates in other replants in the coming years. That way no one gets left out.

What pops out is the new row alignment, east-west instead of north-south, with the aim to get the blast of hot afternoon sun o! the grapes. What might seem like a nod to changing wine styles, with more powerful, high-alcohol wines seeing some pushback in the market is less that, and more just about farming. “Better farming gets better grapes,” he says. “New plantings get changed because we’ve improved what we know and technology has improved. It’s simply about delivering a better product to my customers.”

The To Kalon Vineyard name has been in dispute for years (and remains so, to some degree [https://www.winespectator.com/webfeature/show/id/Lawsuit-Filed-Against-Constellation- Over-Mondavis-Alleged-Misuse-of-To-Kalon] ). A trademark was claimed by Robert Mondavi in 1988; the name was created in the late 1800s by Hamilton Crabb for his wine company. In the early 2000s, Becksto!er started puttting the To Kalon name on fruit from his section of the vineyard, and Mondavi promptly sued Schrader Cellars [https://www.winespectator.com /wine/search?submitted=Y&search_by=exact&text_search_flag=winery& winery=Schrader+Cellars] for putting the name on its label. Becksto!er countersued, and a settlement was eventually reached by which the fruit from Becksto!er’s portion of the vineyard could be labeled Becksto!er To Kalon Vineyard. Constellation (which bought Robert Mondavi Winery in 2004 [https://www.winespectator.com/webfeature/show/id/A-970-Million- Bid-for-Mondavi_2238] , as well as Schrader Cellars in 2017 [https://www.winespectator.com /webfeature/show/id/Constellation-Paid-60-Million-for-Schrader] ) owns the trademark now, and the agreement with Becksto!er still stands. And it’s on this point that Becksto!er takes a farmer’s stand, unlike when he defers to a winemaker.

“This is like DRC [https://www.winespectator.com/wine/search?submitted=Y&page=1& winery=roman%C3%A9e&text_search_flag=wine_plus_vintage&search_by=all&scorelow=- 1&scorehigh=-1&pricelow=-1&pricehigh=-1&case_prod=null_case_prod&taste_date=& issue_date=&issue_year=&varietal%5B%5D=null_varietal&regions%5B%5D=null_regions& vintage%5B%5D=&size=15&sort_by=score&sort_dir=desc] . There should be a Becksto!er To Kalon and a MacDonald To Kalon,” he says, mentioning one of the smaller growers in the vineyard. “If we’re going to present Napa Valley to the world then the vineyard needs integrity. The name should be about the land, not a trademark.”

That final sentence hangs there as we find ourselves back at the starting point. After completing a full loop of his parcel. After farming for 50 years in the valley, I can’t help but think he must have timed it that way.

Three years ago, the father-and-son grape-growing team of Andrew and David Beckstoffer harvested a gondola of sunny publicity when they unveiled a novel plan to raise the profile of their Lake County vineyards.

They recruited 10 winemakers and offered each a free acre of Cabernet Sauvignon for three successive vintages starting with the 2016 crop.

The first wine from the exercise is just now being rolled out, the fragrant, svelte and gracefully layered Spoto Wines 2016 Lake County Red Hills Amber Knolls Vineyard Special Select Cabernet Sauvignon.

As part of the deal, the Beckstoffers stipulated that any wines to emerge from the trial be priced at least $80 per bottle. Stuart Spoto, excited by the initial results, is doing better than that, pricing the 2016 at $100. Not coincidentally, that price is in the ballpark with his other wines, including a cabernet sauvignon from Napa Valley’s Oakville district, the 2015 version of which sells for $140.

That’s precisely the kind of parallel that the Beckstoffers hoped would materialize. Longtime Napa Valley farmers, where they are stewards of several of the enclave’s more celebrated vineyards, including Las Piedras, Dr. Crane and To Kalon, the Beckstoffers have been investing ambitiously in the grape potential of Lake County.

Winemakers outside Lake County, including vintners in Napa, historically have drawn grapes from around Clear Lake, but the stature and price for Lake’s cabernet sauvignon has lagged behind the variety when grown in Napa. (According to California agricultural officials, the weighted average grower return per ton of cabernet sauvignon grown in Lake County in 2017 was $2,352, while the comparable figure for Napa County was $7,455.)

The Lake County experiment hasn’t been without challenges, most notably last year’s wildland fires, which tainted some grapes with smoke residue. Spoto, for one, was so disappointed in the quality of the wine he produced from the 2018 harvest he distilled it into grappa, which he doesn’t plan to release until after it mellows in oak barrels for five or so years.

Because of this past summer’s fire-related issues, the Beckstoffers have extended the trial for a fourth year. Spoto not only remains on board for this year’s harvest he’s signed a contract to buy grapes from the Beckstoffers’ Lake County vineyards for five years starting in 2020. (In Napa Valley, the Beckstoffers use a formula that calls for winemakers to pay up to 175 times the bottle price per ton of fruit; in Lake County the formula is 100 times the bottle price, meaning Spoto will pay $10,000 per ton if he continues to price his cabernet sauvignon at $100 the bottle.)

The continued participation of other winemakers in the program is uncertain. Several have dropped out, in part because they were uncertain how to market such a small lot in their usual lineups. Mostly, however, their plans to participate were thwarted by wildland fires that not only complicated last year’s harvest in Lake County but upset the usual rhythm of the vintage in Napa County in 2017, said David Beckstoffer. “Back-to-back fires screwed up the whole program,” he remarked.

Financially, the Beckstoffers don’t realize a return from the sale of any wines from the trial, but they’ve gained knowledge from farming techniques that participating winemakers brought to their individual plots. “We gave them a lot of free range to use whatever viticultural practices they preferred. We wanted to try new things,” said David Beckstoffer. As an example, he noted that one participant wanted to open the company’s customary tight vertical trellis system to let in more sunshine and air, which resulted in “very good” results.

One participating winemaker, Matt Hughes of Brassfield Estate Winery in Lake County, agrees that a major benefit of the program has been the insight that is being generated as vintners apply new cultivation practices to their portions of the vineyards. For his part, he went with dry farming of his parcel, with impressive results, though he doesn’t know when the resulting wines will be released. “Every year we are learning more about being farmers here. The more trials like this that we can do, with all the creative input it involves, the better. It raises the quality bar,” said Hughes.

Vintners were free to choose their acre in either the Amber Knolls or the Crimson Ridge vineyard. The two spreads are on opposite sides of Highway 29 in the Red Hills AVA southeast of Kelseyville. Microclimate and soils are similar, but Crimson Ridge is a little higher in elevation, more steeply sloped and faces more southwest, while Amber Knolls faces northwest. Of the 4,000 acres that the Beckstoffers farm in Mendocino, Napa and Lake counties, Amber Knolls accounts for 1,320 acres, Crimson Ridge 470.

In 2016, Spoto staked his one-acre claim in Amber Knolls, from which he also harvested malbec. That wine, the floral, juicy and spicy Spoto Wines 2016 Lake County Red Hills Amber Knolls Malbec ($110), also is now being released.

With the 2017 harvest, however, Spoto got grapes from both Amber Knolls and Crimson Ridge. He was so excited by the character of the fruit from Crimson Ridge that he henceforth will be focusing on grapes from that vineyard. With a slightly higher elevation, Crimson Ridge provides more hangtime and lower yields, noted Spoto. “The 2017 (Amber Knolls/Crimson Ridge) will rival Oakville,” said Spoto. “It is huge and dark, with beautiful structure.”

The Lake County fruit has come in with higher sugars and higher pH readings than he prefers, but Spoto found that such levels were necessary to achieve the phenolics he wants. While the Lake County fruit is demanding more of his attention in the cellar, he is confident that his wine-club and online customers, who account for nearly all his distribution, will find the resulting wines no less enjoyable than his Napa Valley wines.

The first of several planned housing fairs in Lake County took place on May 25 at the Beckstoffer Vineyard offices in Kelseyville.
The housing fair targeted the agricultural workforce of Lake County and was organized by the Lake County Economic Development Corp. in collaboration with United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development.
The housing fair was sponsored in part by Beckstoffer Vineyards and Bella Vista Farms. Participating service providers included the Lake County Association of Realtors, Sterling Mortgage, Savings Bank of Mendocino County, Umpqua Bank, Skiles and Associates General Construction and Development and Dunshee Builders.
The purpose of the fair was to increase awareness of available USDA Rural Development home loan programs with the goal of expediting homeownership for the Lake County workforce.
Several targeted housing fairs will take place around Lake County with the next fair scheduled in July to address the ongoing rebuilding efforts in the Cobb and Middletown areas. Details of the Cobb area housing fair will be announced when finalized.
Future fairs are anticipated in the Clearlake and Upper Lake areas, with another agricultural workforce housing fair to be scheduled.
“Affordable housing is a vital component in our mission at USDA to improve rural prosperity, but we can’t do it alone,” said USDA Rural Development California State Director Kim Dolbow Vann. “Working together with our local partners and stakeholders in Lake County we are able to offer these comprehensive housing fairs, and make sure everyone is aware of the resources available to them.”
USDA Rural Development’s Single Family Housing loan programs help moderate to low-income individuals
and households purchase homes, build equity, and increase their investment in the community.
Highlights of the programs include no down payment, no mortgage insurance, and interest rates as low as one percent for eligible buyers.
Loans are available to all individuals and households that meet criteria such as income levels, credit scores, and stable income. Residents may be assisted in purchasing an existing home or building a new one.
For more information on USDA Rural Development’s programs visit www.rd.usda.gov/ca.
Contact the Lake County Economic Development Corp. at 3895 Main Street, Kelseyville, 707-279-1540, Extension 101.

After two decades of cultivating quality Cabernet Sauvignon in Lake County, Beckstoffer Vineyards envisioned taking the fruit and subsequent wines to unprecedented levels of color, aroma, mouthfeel and overall quality. Handpicked, well-respected vintners took part in a three-year program (2016, 2017 and 2018) devoted to uncovering the potential of both the Amber Knolls and Crimson Ridge Vineyards, working with Cabernet Sauvignon and to a lesser extent Malbec winegrapes. One acre allocations were donated to each participating winemaker with the caveat that all measures necessary would be applied to drive quality in the finished wines.

The Amber Knolls and Crimson Ridge Vineyards are located in the Red Hills AVA which is known for rolling mountain ranges comprised of unique volcanic soils, intense solar radiation and picturesque landscapes. The summers are hot and dry with a strong diurnal shift. Following the onset of fall, cooler days and nights help promote and retain intense flavor development. The cumulative effect of ideal climate along with porous soils offer the potential for building a world class winegrowing region.

Opinions vary, but it can be argued that the two of the greatest means of influencing berry quality are through applied water and canopy management techniques. These practices are known to alter berry size and canopy microclimate.

Dependent upon the participating winemaker, irrigation stress was pushed to what some growers would consider uncomfortable. A few blocks, for all intents and purposes, were dry farmed and only irrigated to preserve the vine integrity prior to excessive heat events. For example, a highly stressed block would achieve pre-veraison leaf water potentials (LWPs) downwards of -17 bars. Those stress levels were decreased post- veraison and were maintained in the -14 to -15 bars stress level. To put these measurements in context, a well- watered grapevine would routinely have a LWP stress level in the -8 to -10 bars range, thus the observed stress levels were nearly doubled in comparison.

Similar to water stress, canopy management techniques like leaf removal, shoot positioning and shoot hedging are also known to influence berry chemistry. Leaf removal requests varied by winemaker. Practices ranged from aggressive defoliation in the fruiting zone to tunnel leaf removal (clearing out congestion, but leaving a leaf layer to protect fruit from direct sunlight) to no leaf removal at all. Timings of leaf removal strategies also varied by winemaker and ranged from being implemented at bloom to several weeks post-veraison. Hedging and shoot positioning strategies were also assessed and varied from winemaker to winemaker. Each participant with a slightly different school of thought and each allocation with a different outcome in berry chemistry and final wine style.

The learnings gained in 2016 and 2017 have afforded both participating winemakers and management the ability to hone cultural practices in an effort to maximize quality in the Amber Knolls and Crimson Ridge Vineyards. The Beckstoffer team has taken extraordinary measures to quantify the impacts of cultural practices and distinctive ‘terroir’ on berry chemistry. In addition to the traditional chemistry metrics; more insightful chemical components were analyzed. In 2018, the team will look to expand the panel even further.

Combined with first-rate winemaking practices from the selected participants, the Beckstoffer team and collaborating winemakers have, so far, been successful in driving grape and wine quality across the majority of allocations. The results will be unveiled in 2019.

Soils

Development of a grapevine begins in the soil. The Red Hills AVA is comprised of well-drained volcanic soils rich in native materials ideal for Brix accumulation while simultaneously driving strong minerality and aromatic potential in the fruit. The Amber Knolls Vineyard, located approximately 45 miles north of Calistoga on the south side of Highway 29, has relatively thin topsoil and is rich with obsidian rock that lends itself to rapid drainage after rain and irrigation events. The predominant soil type being GlenviewArrowhead complex which is defined as a well-drained, extremely gravelly loam on obsidian hillsides
(SSURGO).

Northwest of the Amber Knolls Vineyard and situated on the south face of Mount Konocti rests the Crimson Ridge Vineyard, this site also has a thin topsoil primarily composed of gravel with an abundance of large boulders beneath the shallow topsoil. The predominant soil type being Benridge-Konocti association which is defined as well-drained, cobbly loam on andesite, basalt and dacite, ‘lava rock’ mountains (SSURGO). These well-drained soils afford management the opportunity to control vine vigor
with strict irrigation regimes, taking advantage of phenologically timed stress events to drive down berry size and concentrate key fruit chemistries.

The Amber Knolls Vineyard reaches altitudes of nearly 2500’ with slopes between 15-20% incline. The Crimson Ridge Vineyard peaks in excess of 2600’ with some of the steepest slopes ranging between 25-30%. The combination of sheer slope aspect and soil type greatly assist in the development of robust Cabernet Sauvignon and aromatic Malbec.

Potentially the greatest and one of the most defining distinctions between the Amber Knolls and Crimson Ridge Vineyards compared to other famous hillside vineyards is the increase in uniformity of he parent material. The regional volcanics, obsidian and lava rock, have been deposited as recently as 10,000 years ago (USGS) from eruptions of Mount Konocti and form a continuous crust of porous rock across the vineyard landscapes. This is atypical for most California AVA’s, where a vast number of hillside vineyards are composed of alluvial fans where differences in weathered material can impart variability
across changing elevations.

Rootstock and Scion Selections

The Beckstoffer management team has decades of experience and insight looking into the impacts of rootstocks and scion selection on quality parameters. Proper rootstocks selection, based on water use efficiency, vigor and rate of maturation, help management optimize winegrape quality. Considering the rock-laden mountainsides, a few of the rootstocks that have been selected for cultivation include 110R, 101-14 Mgt and 1103P.
A clone that imparts smaller berry size and looser cluster architecture is an equally important feature. The Beckstoffer team has had success with both FPS and ENTAV clones. The driving factors in clonal selection were increased skin to pulp ratio and aromatic potential.

Cultural Practices
Opinions vary, but it can be argued that the two of the greatest means of influencing berry quality are through applied water and canopy management techniques. These practices are known to alter berry size and canopy microclimate.

California trials with deficit irrigation as a treatment have repeatedly demonstrated the ability to decrease berry size and increase the skin to pulp ratio (Nelson et al. 2016). Simultaneously, deficit irrigation has been shown to limit shoot elongation and vine vigor, thus affecting PAR (photosynthetically active radiation) transmittance in the fruiting zone.

Dependent upon the participating winemaker, irrigation stress was pushed to what some growers would consider uncomfortable. A few blocks, for all intents and purposes, were dry farmed and only irrigated to preserve the vine integrity prior to excessive heat events. For example, a highly stressed block would achieve pre-veraison leaf water potentials (LWPs) downwards of -17 bars. Those stress levels were decreased post-veraison and were maintained at -14 to -15 bars stress level. To put these measurements in context, a well-watered grapevine would routinely have a LWP stress level in the -8 to-10 bars range, thus the observed stress levels were nearly twice as negative in comparison.

Similar to water stress, canopy management techniques like leaf removal, shoot positioning and shoot hedging are also known to affect PAR transmittance and canopy microclimates. Efficacy of both irrigation stress and canopy management strategies are highly dependent upon timing and can vary depending on seasonal conditions.

Leaf removal requests varied by winemaker. Practices ranged from aggressive defoliation in the fruiting zone to tunnel leaf removal (clearing out congestion, but leaving a leaf layer to protect fruit from direct sunlight) to no leaf removal at all. Timings of leaf removal strategies also varied by participant and ranged from being implemented at bloom to several weeks post-veraison.

Hedging and shoot positioning strategies were assessed and varied from winemaker to winemaker. Each participant with a slightly different school of thought and each allocation with a different outcome in berry chemistry and final wine style. The learnings gained in 2016 and 2017 have afforded both participating winemakers and the Beckstoffer management team the ability to hone cultural practices in an effort to maximize quality in the Amber Knolls and Crimson Ridge Vineyards. These practices were altered and optimized based upon vintage, trial and error, slope aspect, soil type and overall winemaker preferences. General goals were to
optimize light within the fruiting zone, decrease berry size, limit excessive dehydration and promote key berry chemistries.

Grape and Wine Analysis
In addition to winemakers tasting notes, being able to quantify fruit and wine chemistry is the final step in assessment of treatments. Specific chemical markers were selected to form a grape chemistry panel in 2017 and that panel will likely be expanded in 2018. In addition to the traditional chemistry metrics, more insightful chemical components were analyzed. Some of the berry chemistry components measured in 2017 included; tannins, anthocyanins, catechin and total phenolic content. In 2018, the team will look to expand the panel even further.

Similarly, wine chemistry contents were quantified in both 2016 and 2017. Some of the key components were total anthocyanins, polymeric anthocyanins, quercetin glycosides, tannins, catechin and epicatechin. These components measure wine color as well as mouthfeel and ability to age.

Results/Conclusion

Results were dependent upon winemaker and applied treatments, but it is safe to say that a major positive increase in winegrape quality was attained. It is clear that yield losses are unavoidable in the quest to attain superior quality fruit in both the Amber Knolls and Crimson Ridge Vineyards. As a wideranging average, yields were reduced by approximately 20% where a 5.5 tons per acre (TPA) block was reduced to about 4.5 TPA. Yield losses were dependent upon winemaker requests and ranged from 15-
60% decrease in TPA. Berry chemistry quality metrics were generally greater with increased cultural practices where color, astringency and negative attributes were positively influenced. Wine chemistries were compared against vintages and results were highly dependent upon winemaking style.

In the 1970s, Beckstoffer Vineyards helped pioneer the rise and success of Cabernet Sauvignon in Napa Valley. And now, with limited space left to grow in the region, they’re trying to repeat history in the red-headed stepchild of Northern California AVAS: Lake County.

It’s going to take some time, but two years into the effort, it’s so far, so good.

Andy Beckstoffer started growing Cabernet in the Red Hills AVA of Lake County back in 1997 and currently farms 1,500 acres there. He has long been convinced of the region’s potential to produce more than a “blending wine,” but the rest of the wine world isn’t on board just yet.

The problem is that the proof is in the bottle, but what hap- pens after the grapes leave the vine is not Beckstoffer Vine- yards’ area of expertise. Their solution: an incentive-based initiative to recruit some of Napa Valley’s top winemakers to try their hand at producing a quality Lake County Cabernet priced at $80-$100 a bottle.

“We’ve been at it in Lake County for 20 years now. We know what good Cabernet grapes are like, and we thought that we needed to get somebody to convert them to wine. We just had to set up a system where we could get winemakers to try to have to make great wine in Lake County,” he said.

The Lake County project launched back in 2016. Beckstoffer Vineyards selected 10: winemakers out of 50 applicants, sponsoring each with one acre of their Lake County grapes for three years. For the 2016, 2017 and 2018 vintages, the participants can do what they’d like with the wine, as long as they don’t say where it’s sourced.

At the end of the three vin- tages, the winemakers will then have the option to continue with the grapes, but will be on the hook for the fruit themselves and need to sign a long-term contract with. Beckstoffer Vineyards. Starting with 2019, they must release a vineyard-designate Cabernet for $80-$100, a range that Beckstoffer believes is an underserved market for Cabernet.

Now two vintages into the program, seven winemakers remain. Three of the original 10 have dropped out the only female winemaker left before the project began, while the other two pulled out after the 2016 vintage. Beckstoffer said their reasons for leaving had nothing to do with the quality of the fruit, but rather with limitations in timing and resources to fully commit to the side project.. He also didn’t see a need to re-cast the three open spots, stating, “If we get three to five to work this program it’ll be a major success.” Beckstoffer said he believes the remaining winemakers head into the third and final year of the project optimistically after tasting through the 2016s and 2017s in barrel.

“Everyone is very enthusiastic, and they even seem to be liking the ’17s better than ’16s,” he said. “At this point, I think everybody is extremely pleased. I think they all had good expectations going in that have been met, if not ex- , ceeded.” Still, Beckstoffer is playing the long game here. It won’t be un- til the 2020s that any bottles of Beckstoffer Lake County Caber- net Sauvignon will be released. Just like when you plant a new vineyard, you’re still several years away from seeing if the project will produce the desired effect. “Once the wines begin to get known, we’ll see what happens. I would hope people would talk not only about our vineyards, but the whole appellation,” he said. “This initiative is very serious for us, and you only do it if you’re really interested in building the reputation of the whole district. If this works, we will do two things: We will not only change the reputation of Lake County cabernets, but we’ll change the economics of growing grapes up there, and that’s what we’ve done in Napa.”

Many children in Napa Valley grow up in the wine industry. They spend weekends and hours after school helping their parents or grandparents out in the vineyards and in the cellar, often being groomed to one day join, and even take over the family business, without even realizing it at the time.

The second and third generations are stepping up into larger roles, while their parents loosen their grip and take a few steps back because “it’s time.”

But that was never the plan for David Beckstoffer. Staying in Napa and joining his father’s viticulture empire is not what he ever dreamed of, and it’s not what his father, Andy Beckstoffer, ever pushed for either.

And yet, here we are, far from days when David Beckstoffer, the oldest of the five, was counting down the minutes until he could leave the sleepy Napa Valley.

The other Beckstoffer

“We moved up here when I started high school, and by the time I finished high school, I couldn’t wait to get out of here,” he said. “In the 1970s, this was a farming community. It was not chocolate shops and olive oil stores on Main Street. It was farming parts.”

His father also never put pressure on any of the children to one day join him in the family business, Beckstoffer Vineyards.

“He never even learned to drive a tractor,” joked Andy Beckstoffer.

Instead, David Beckstoffer left town in a hurry, went to business school, and then spent nine years in San Francisco working in finance for Bechtel, the largest construction and civil engineering company in the United States.

Meanwhile, back in Napa, things were changing.

“This was the ‘80s when things were exploding here. It was no longer a sleepy little farming town, it was a globally recognized wine area, and the chocolate shops and olive oil shops and world-class restaurants were starting to sprout up,” he said. “I was at a point in my career where I was doing a lot of traveling, I was working up the corporate ladder and getting to a crossroads. I was starting a family and getting to the point of, ‘Is this the direction I’m going?’”

There was another option, at least he hoped.

“I thought, what about this other opportunity that my father started? Now it’s a place you could actually live, raise a family and have a nice lifestyle,” he said. “I think I kind of shocked him when I said, ‘Is there a place for me in the family company?’”

Andy Beckstoffer’s first response was, “Are you willing to take a pay cut?” He was.

“We run this like a business, so David fit perfectly with what we were doing and we couldn’t afford him if he weren’t family,” said Andy Beckstoffer.

Today, they run the business together, but in separate offices. Andy Beckstoffer is the chief executive officer and David Beckstoffer is the president and chief operating officer.

“Often, when you have this generational change, the problem is the older guy has nothing to do, but he does what he does, and I do what I do. I don’t want to do what he’s doing and he doesn’t want to do what I’m doing,” said Andy Beckstoffer.

“I solve problems, he looks for opportunity,” echoed David Beckstoffer. “I probably focus more

on operations and our farming people, and he focuses more on land and contracts and winery relationships.”

And while the two are generally on the same page, the younger Beckstoffer has an interest in something his father never has: winemaking.

On sticking to what they know

If you asked Andy Beckstoffer which question he’s most tired of hearing, it’s most definitely, “Why don’t you make your own wine?”

Many growers at least dabble in the other side of the business, keeping a small portion of their grapes for themselves. But for the Beckstoffers, the answer is simple: It’s bad for business.

“Our business is farming, not winemaking,” said David Beckstoffer. “Many people have asked that question, and we’ve done our homework. We’ve actually done analysis of if we were to put a winery on To Kalon for instance, make wine and have a first growth, would it be financially better than selling the grapes under our pricing formula? We could not convince ourselves that would make sense.”

Andy Beckstoffer said he’s seen too many Napa Valley farmers lose their land over the years for making poor business decisions. It’s not a club he wants to join.

“There were a lot of farming families here with good farmers and poor businessmen. They don’t have the land anymore because they were poor businessmen, and we determined that wasn’t going to happen to us,” he said. “Just because you can grow potatoes doesn’t mean you can sell potato chips. It’s a totally different business. It’s not a logical extension.”

But they also say their decision to stick to the vineyard is for the good of Napa Valley as a whole. The way they see it, by selling their grapes, they’re enabling the valley’s most talented winemakers to do what they do best and produce great wine.

“The young winemakers, they’re the ones that are raising the level now, and they can do that because we’re here with these kinds of vineyards and we don’t make wine and can sell to them,” said Andy Beckstoffer. “In terms of making Napa Valley better, you’ve got to have the winemakers and you’ve got to have somebody like us that doesn’t make their own wine.”

“We like being that party,” David Beckstoffer added. “There are very few vineyards that have grapes available at this level, at the $150 and up a bottle level. We’re one of the places people come to when they’re looking for that level of grapes.”

Still, like many vintners in Napa Valley, the desire was still there to get his hands on just a little bit of that Beckstoffer juice.

Pulling the trigger

“I’ve always had an interest in making wine. I made wine in my tool shed for years as a hobby, and when we bought the Bourn vineyard, I went to Dad and I said, ‘Well, if we’re ever going to do a Beckstoffer Vineyards wine, we’ve got what we know is a heritage-level vineyard, unencumbered, we have the grapes, we can do what we want,’” said David Beckstoffer.

But convincing his dad to get on board wasn’t easy.

“His response was, ‘I don’t want to make wine, it’s not what I want to do. But if you’re excited about it, why don’t you do your own project, and you can be a client like our other winery clients and buy the grapes from us.’”

Don’t be mistaken; there are no handouts here. If anything, David Beckstoffer is overpaying for his fruit, for he’s buying petite sirah grapes from Beckstoffer Vineyards at Cabernet pricing. That was dad’s condition.

“When we bought it, the vineyard was eight acres of old vine Petite Sirah and four acres of Cabernet. We were going to pull out all the old vine Petite Sirah because financially, even though these vines are beautiful, it’s a reality. If you look at Cabernet prices and Petite Sirah prices, it doesn’t take you long to figure that out,” said David Beckstoffer, who, with winemaker Benoit Touquette, made a barrel of Petite Sirah that first year for fun before replanting would take place.

“We were blown away. The Petite Sirah was beautiful. So, I convinced dad to let me keep 10 rows of the old vine Petite Sirah and we pulled the rest of it out.”

Those Petite Sirah grapes now go exclusively to David Beckstoffer for his wine Kata, a limited- production Beckstoffer Bourn Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, with roughly 15-20 percent petite sirah, depending on the vintage.

He’s also released a second label, Ghost Dog, using his leftover Petite Sirah grapes. At roughly 100 cases, Ghost Dog showcases the Petite Sirah with between 50-60 percent in a blend with cabernet.

But David Beckstoffer wants to be clear: This is a David Beckstoffer project. This is not a Beckstoffer Vineyards wine, and there probably never will be one. It’s just not good for business — or the rest of Napa Valley.

An eye-opening number of Napa Valley’s highest-rated Cabernet Sauvignons have one thing in common-and it’s not the winemaker or winery behind them. They all rely on grapes grown in vineyards owned by Andy Beckstoffer.

These are wines of collectors’ dreams, the likes of Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley CCS Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard 2007 (100 points on the Wine Spectator 100-point scale), Paul Hobbs Cabernet Sauvignon St. Helena Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard 2007 (97) and Carter Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Beckstoffer To Kalon The Grand Daddy 2012 (96).
There are other great wines, of course. But the name Beckstof- fer seems ubiquitous in Napa’s top tier and is found on the labels of 37 different California wineries overall. Winemakers pay as much as $40,000 a ton for these Cabernet grapes, whereas the Napa average is closer to $6,500.
The steep price comes with the territory. The company controls some of the most historic and significant vineyards in Napa; over the past 20 years, more than 70 wines made from Beckstoffer fruit have earned classic scores of 95 or more points in Wine Spectator blind tastings.
In all, Beckstoffer owns nearly 900 vineyard acres in Napa, worth an estimated $350 million, as well as 2,700 additional vineyard acres in Mendocino and Lake counties. High-profile vineyards like To Kalon and Dr. Crane are only a tiny part of Beckstoffer’s pro- duction, accounting for about 500 tons of the total 14,000 he picked last year, but they represent a big chunk of his revenue.
“We’re not selling an agricultural commodity,” he says of his top vineyards. “We’re selling you a branded product, and our brand-the family name and the vineyard name-is probably more impor- tant than the winery brand.”
If Beckstoffer sounds cocky, it’s because he is. He has never mel- lowed, and he looks younger than his 77 years. He remains an audacious personality with an ample ego, who has been a contro- versial figure in Napa Valley for nearly 50 years.
He has been single-minded in his pursuit of success or money, his detractors will say-even courting financial disaster only to bounce back through brass-knuckle business savvy and swagger to become one of the valley’s ultimate insiders.
The yellow farmhouse with the steep red roof and wrap- around porch seems as deeply rooted in Napa Valley as the old pines and oaks that tower over it. But looks can be deceiving, and the building, in Rutherford, isn’t the vestige of the 19th century it appears to be.
Standing on the porch, Beckstoffer smiles when asked what year it was built. “1991,” he says of the house that serves as headquar- ters for Beckstoffer Vineyards. “Does it remind you of anything?” He doesn’t wait for an answer, explaining that the design is a knock- off of Inglenook’s Chiles House, built in 1856 and among the old- est homes in the valley.
Beckstoffer is used to creating his own history. He arrived in Napa Valley in 1969, at age 29, as a corporate deal-maker and numbers-cruncher. Since then, his trajectory closely aligns with the stupendous rise of the modern Napa Valley wine industry.
His best-known parcel is his 83 acres of the famed To Kalon vineyard, an Oakville planting whose history dates to 1868. Georges III Vineyard, which borders the headquarters, is 251 acres of vines first planted in 1895 and was the source for memorable Beaulieu Cabernet Sauvignons in the 1960s and ’70s. His other historic vineyards include the 21-acre Dr. Crane and 22-acre Las Piedras, both in St. Helena.
“To Kalon is one of the real jewels of Napa Valley,” says Tony Correia of the California Chapter of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, which tracks vineyard values. Prime vineyard land on the floor of the valley is worth $300,000 to $400,000 an acre, with recent deals involving select parcels in the heart of the valley closing in on $1 million an acre. It’s a quantum leap from when Beckstoffer purchased his parcel of To Kalon in 1993 (then called Beaulieu Vineyard No. 4) for an estimated price of $44,000 an acre.
Fred Schrader was blown away the first time he tasted a Caber- net from Beckstoffer’s To Kalon. It was a 1999-vintage barrel sam- ple from another winery. “[It was] just rocket fuel,” Schrader says. “It was that good-it was the complete balance and purity and concentration.” Schrader released the first To Kalon under his own label with the 2001 vintage.
Winemaker Paul Hobbs, who makes three vineyard-designated Cabernets from Beckstoffer, has worked with the grower for 30 years. “Andy’s a real pro,” Hobbs says. “I have amazing respect for what he’s done.”
Just as Beckstoffer took a gamble buying BV No. 4 to create To Kalon, he’s rolling the dice again in Lake County. While Napa has the prestige, he says Lake County is where the action is for an en- trepreneur. In the past 20 years, he has invested significantly in Lake County, planting 1,500 acres in the remote Red Hills region.
Yet Beckstoffer’s attachment to Napa remains strong. “The emo- tion and passion for the land develops over a long period of time,” Beckstoffer says. “I get antsy if I’m away from here more than 10 days.”
Desite Beckstoffer’s many decades in California, Virginia still lingers in his voice. Lanky and spry, he’s known for his cowboy boots and easy laugh. He loves sports and has season tickets to the San Francisco 49ers and Giants. He refuses to miss a Warriors game.
Beckstoffer has been married 56 years. He and his wife, Betty, have five children. David, 55, is president and COO of the com- pany. Tuck, 50, worked with Andy before starting his own wine company; last year he bought Napa’s Dancing Hare winery to house his six labels. Kristin, 49, designs wine labels as a graphic artist. Dana, 52, raises rabbits and chickens in Petaluma. The youngest, Steven, 43, works as a Caterpillar tractor sales representative in Southern California.
Though Andy is the head of a big family, Tuck says that he was not a nurturing dad. “I’m not going to tell you I had the most fun- loving childhood. He’d be the first to say that,” Tuck states.
Beckstoffer himself sheepishly recalls a story about his early days in the wine industry, when he was spending more time traveling than with his family: “My son called the neighbor, ‘Daddy.”” Even once the family settled in Napa, Beckstoffer spent most his time and money on the business, even when money was tight. “It was a slog through the mud through the late ’80s,” Tuck recalls. “We did not have nice things.”
David describes his father as an aggressive personality. “That can be good and bad,” David says. “You generally know when he’s in the room, and he’s not shy about tell- ing you what he thinks. He’s fair but he can be stubborn.” Schrader and Hobbs call Beck- stoffer a tough negotiator. “When you have a meeting with Andy, you don’t walk in unprepared or you’re going to get killed,” Hobbs says.
Beckstoffer concedes that he has a reputation for being tough, even divisive. “I don’t feel like I have enemies. I like to think of it as grudging respect.”
Not everyone in the valley sees it that way. “Do I know anybody who likes Andy? I don’t know, I guess there are some,” said a vint- ner who asked to remain anonymous.
Much of the animosity toward Beckstoffer comes from his stance against what he considers overdevelopment in Napa. While he says he’s not a strident environmentalist, preserving agricultural land is important to him.
In 1989, he pushed for Napa’s landmark Winery Definition Or- dinance (WDO), which among other mandates requires wineries in the valley to use at least 75 percent Napa grapes. Existing facili ties were exempted but any expansion or new facility must comply. The WDO has been updated and challenged frequently over the years, and some vintners view it as governmental overreach.
Controlling hillside vineyard developments is another issue for Beckstoffer. Many critics see his support for both efforts as an at- tempt to shut the door on newcomers and thereby increase the value of his own vineyards. Such initiatives are also seen as over- regulating the local business culture.
Beckstoffer’s role in the valley has engendered skepticism since his earliest days there. Napa was a quiet farming community back then, and he was among the first wave of corporate executives to take the reins. At a time when a handshake was the only contract you needed in the valley, here came a cocky young guy talking about business plans angled at turning a profit.
There’s an often-told story about Beckstoffer from the mid-1970s which illustrates that he wasn’t interested in playing by the old Napa rules. In that decade, growers were largely considered second- class citizens, and a handful of long-established wineries had all the clout. As one of the founders of the Napa Valley Grapegrow- ers Association, Beckstoffer attended a large meeting with these powerful winery owners.
“The vintners sat around the table and the grapegrowers were supposed to sit in chairs around the outside of the table. I thought, “Screw that, I’m sitting at the table.””

Beckstoffer’s office is deco- rated with mementoes of his personal life and long career.
He has a mild M&M’s addiction; every desk seems to have a bowl. Aerial portraits of his vineyards line the stairwell and there’s a bookshelf of photos by his door. There are snapshots of him with Jimmy Carter, Mother Teresa and Walter Cronkite.
There’s also a 1970 photo of Beck- stoffer engaged in what appears to be an intense discussion with André Tchelistcheff, then winemaker at Beaulieu. Beckstoffer was panicked about rain ruining the harvest, and recalls the moment: “André was say- ing, ‘It will be fine.””
Beaulieu and Inglenook, two sto- ried Napa wineries, were the reason Beckstoffer came to the valley in the first place, and his time working with them laid the groundwork for his life today.
Beckstoffer’s father owned a pros- perous mill in Richmond, Va., and made fine woodwork and cabinetry. Beckstoffer attended Virginia Tech on a football scholarship and re- ceived an MBA from Dartmouth.
In the mid-1960s, he was hired by food-and-drinks giant Heublein in Connecticut to work on acquisition strategies. While Beckstoffer didn’t know much about wine, he saw op- portunity in California and played an instrumental role in convincing the company to invest in wine, and in Napa in particular.
In 1968, Heublein bought United Vintners, which owned Inglenook in Rutherford and the now-defunct Italian Swiss Colony in Sonoma County. Months later, Heublein bought Beaulieu. Beckstoffer moved his family to California, where he was tasked with creating a vineyard-managment subsidiary, Vinifera Development.

Beckstoffer knew a lot about numbers, but wasn’t a wine drinker. In his 2015 book The Winemaker, Richard Peterson says that when he worked with Beckstoffer at Beaulieu, Beckstoffer wasn’t particu- larly devoted to quality. “He asked me why I was using Chenin Blanc to make [BV’s sparkling wines],” Peterson writes.
When Peterson explained that he wanted to use Chardonnay, as was common for France’s top sparklers, he says he was interrupted by Beckstoffer: “Don’t you realize you’re paying $900 a ton for Chardonnay when you could get Thompson Seedless for $60?”
Peterson scoffed at the suggestion. “With a condescending grin, Andy looked at me and said, ‘Dick, you’ll never make a million dollars.””
By 1973, Beckstoffer had worked for Heublein for seven years and the company was rethinking its move into wine. Profits weren’t what they expected and a boycott by the César Chávez-led United Farm Workers union was causing problems.
The company wanted out of grapegrowing and decided to unload its 1,200 acres of vines in Napa and Mendocino. Beckstoffer, presi- dent of Vinifera Development at the time, was told to find a buyer, but he was unsuccessful. Instead, he decided to buy it himself.
Where Heublein saw headaches, Beckstoffer saw a way to gain a foothold in the valley. It was a highly leveraged deal, with Beckstoffer paying $7,500 in cash and Heublein itself lending him $6 million to ensure its grape supply. “That $7,500 was everything he had,” Tuck recalls.
Beckstoffer barely made it. Grape prices tumbled in the mid-’70s, with Napa Cab- ernet dropping from $800 to $400 a ton. Inflation was also running wild. By 1975, Heublein was dropping its farming con- tracts with Beckstoffer’s new company. “That was the backbone of the business. That was our cash flow,” he recalls.

By 1978, things seemed to be falling apart. Beckstoffer defaulted on his loans and owed about $7 million. Heublein seized about 700 acres in Napa.
But Beckstoffer managed to hold onto two vineyards still in his portfolio today: Carneros Creek and Melrose. He renamed the company Beckstoffer Vineyards and spent the next five years get- ting out of his financial hole. “I had to sign personal servitude con- tracts,” he said in a 2007 Wine Spectator story.
“He’s taken a lot of risks,” David says. “Most people would’ve be- come risk-averse after that, but he didn’t back down, and started over.”
As the grapegrowing business recovered, Beckstoffer was able to slowly buy vineyards again. In 1988, he bought Georges III and followed that five years later with the 83-acre BV No. 4, a key vineyard in Beaulieu’s Georges de Latour Private Reserve. He reportedly paid Heublein $3.9 million for No. 4, considered ex- pensive at the time, especially since the site had a phylloxera in- festation and required replanting.

He renamed it Beckstoffer To Kalon, since it was once part of that historic vine- yard. That led to a 2002 lawsuit by Robert Mondavi Winery against Schrader for using the To Kalon name on his label. The parties eventually settled out of court, and Beckst- offer retained the right to use the name.
Beckstoffer had become convinced that the future of Napa Valley rested in vine- yards, not just winemakers. Back in the 1980s, the winemaker was king and great wines were made in the cellar, blending different grape sources to build complexity.
“Showing off a single terroir was boring,” he recalls. Beckstoffer saw potential in building his own brand through vineyard-desig- nated wines. He liked to tell people that a single vineyard was like a beautiful woman with a chipped tooth. “Her charm,” he says, “was in the way she carried her defects.”
Along the way, he raised eyebrows in Napa with a grape-pricing formula he devised in 1976. A ton of grapes from his historic vine- yards would cost 100 times the price of the finished bottle of wine, something stipulated in every contract. For example, a winemaker selling a Cabernet for $400 would pay $40,000 a ton.
“We joke with Andy that we need to send a Brink’s truck to pay for the grapes,” Hobbs says.
Beckstoffer is unapologetic about his pricing. Traditionally, grow- ers want to grow as much as they can for a higher revenue stream, while the wineries want to underpay. “We don’t have that conflict anymore,” Beckstoffer says. “Years ago I would have said that we couldn’t make money farming vine- yards. I don’t feel like that anymore.”
But while he may have found a way to make vineyards profitable, are his grapes worth the price? “They must be, because I keep buying them,” Hobbs says with a laugh. “The wines sell and I’m very pleased with the results I’m getting.” Winemakers generally trust Beckstoffer and his crew, and as Beck- stoffer likes to say, “We don’t tell them how to make wine and we don’t let them tell us how to grow grapes.” Beckstoffer’s price might be aggres- sive, but Schrader says you can’t argue with the quality. “There’s an amazing attention to detail in the vineyards,” Schrader adds. “Andy is a business- man, and he has an exceptional prod- uct, and he’s intent of getting the last dollar for it. Who can blame him?”
AIthough much of Beckstof- fer’s energy is focused on Lake County (see “Uppingthe Ante in Lake County,” page 50), he keeps an eye to the past and the future of Napa Valley.

Eventually, his children will takeover the company. He recalls telling them early on, “Go away and find out what the world is like and where your name doesn’t mean anything. Find out what it’s like and be a success.”
Indeed, David remembers how, as a teenager in the 1970s, he couldn’t wait to leave the sleepy valley be- hind. But in 1997, he walked away from a high-paying corporate job to return home.
These days, Beckstoffer focuses on the big picture and allows David to handle many of the details. Retire- ment is not in his plans.
“He truly loves what he’s doing,” Tuck says of his father. “I want him to slow down, go to Mexico and en- joy himself, but he just won’t do it.”
Schrader puts it this way, “Andy lives the game. He has a complete passion for it.”
Driving west on Rutherford Road, Beckstoffer recalls it as a quiet lane in the 1970s, a place where he often rode his horse. Today, luxury vehicles zoom past. Beckstoffer believes over- development is the biggest threat to the valley. “Some people are trying to make this a fantasy land.” Napa is becoming too much about winery destinations and luxury resorts and homes, he says. It should be about the land, the vineyards. The valley’s rep- utation, he believes, is at risk. “There are all these traffic and environmen- tal problems, and then people get pissed off at the wine business.” From Highway 29, Beckstoffer turns right on Walnut Lane and into the heart of To Kalon. It’s just south of Mondavi and across the highway from Opus One. Twenty years after replanting the vineyard, he’s doing it a second time, adjusting di- rections of rows and tinkering with the latest clones and rootstock. After the 2017 harvest, the company will start with an 11-acre plot along the highway. The goal is to finish replanting by 2028.
Because winemakers work with specific blocks in the vineyard, each will eventually lose grapes for a few vintages. Beckstoffer hopes to mitigate the pain by asking winemakers to share crop with their affected colleagues. What impact this will have on your favorite To Kalon bottling is hard to predict.
Looking west over the vineyards and toward the Mayacamas, Beckstoffer avows that To Kalon is a special place. “You could say OK, give me the soil type of To Kalon. Give me its longitude and latitude, where it sits, and I’m going to recreate To Kalon. You can’t do that. It doesn’t work that way,” he says.
When he first arrived in Napa he thought vineyards were assets to be exploited, but now he sees things differently. His six historic vineyards are protected by conservation easements and have been preserved in a trust.
“These will be vineyards forever. They can never be sold by my children. I keep thinking that some spouse of a great-great-grand- child of mine is going to hate me, but that’s what we want to do.”

The road from Napato Lake County winds through rugged mountains, dense forests and landscapes scarred by re- cent wildfires. It takes Andy Beckstoffer about 90 min- utes to make the drive north from his office in Rutherford to his vineyards in the Red Hills American Viticultural Area (AVA), in the south- ern part of Lake County. With new opportunities in Napa Valley growing scarce, Beckstoffer looked to this unproven region in the 1990s and was instrumental in getting the Red Hills AVA approved in 2004. “Jess Jackson told me ‘You can’t grow good Cabernet in Lake County,’ and I said ‘Thanks, Jess, stay the hell out,'” Beckstoffer says with a laugh. Jackson’s original winery was located in Lake County. “I don’t disagree with him about Lake County as a whole, but Red Hills is different.”
It’s a matter of soil and elevation, Beckstoffer says. The AVA ranges from 1,350 to 2,600 feet, giving it a generally sunny but cooler mountain climate. The distinctive red soil is a product of the nearby dormant volcano, Mount Konocti, and the land is stud- ded with black obsidian, quartz crystals and gravel. “It’s the perfect soil for Cabernet,” he points out.
The company has three vineyards in Red Hills: Amber Knolls, Amber Knolls West, and the newest, Crimson Ridge. Cabernet is the primary grape. As he tours the vineyards, Beckstoffer explains how he and son David manage the company. Operations in each of the three of counties where they have vineyards (Napa, Lake and Mendocino) function almost as distinct companies, with sepa- rate general managers and viticulturists.
“We basically let people run their own businesses within the company,” David says. “Dad is very hands-on but he doesn’t micromanage.”
Beckstoffer believes that’s the best way to grow grapes, saying, “I don’t want to be just another Napa guy farming in Mendocino or Lake counties.”
In all, Beckstoffer owns 20 vineyards in Napa, Mendocino and Lake, for a total of about 3,600 acres of vines.

“We’re probably the third-largest land owner, behind Kendall- Jackson and Gallo,” in California’s North Coast, Beckstoffer says, “but we are by far the largest seller of grapes” in the region. Duck- horn, Franciscan, Hess, Joel Gott and Clos du Bois are among the producers that use his grapes in Napa Valley, North Coast and other regional bottlings.
Beckstoffer is convinced that Red Hills shows the same poten- tial that Napa Valley did in the 1960s. But winemakers have been slow to buy into the idea. The AVA may be able to produce a good $20 bottle of North Coast Cabernet, but will its wines ever be wor- thy of an $80 or $100 price tag?
“I can’t tell people, ‘These are great grapes.’ If you don’t make great wine, it’s not a great vineyard,” Beckstoffer concedes.
In 2016, he set about proving his theory, creating a contest of sorts. Ten winemakers are being given an acre each in Amber Knolls for three vintages. That’s about 3.5 tons a year for each winemaker, free of charge, and 50 winemakers applied for a chance. It’s no small undertaking for Beckstoffer: Lake County Cabernet grapes sell for nearly $3,000 a ton.
“It’s not a publicity stunt,” says Beckstoffer, who declined to name the participating winemakers. “We think we have great grapes. We don’t know if we can make great wine or not. The wine- makers don’t know yet.”

The Beckstoffer Family of Beckstoffer Vineyards has pledged $500,000 toward the new OLE Health development project in south Napa. They cited the ongoing need to protect the health of the region’s most vulnerable populations, including low-income families, children, seniors and farmworkers.

“The backbone of our local economy relies on a healthy community and a healthy workforce,” said Andy Beckstoffer, owner of Beckstoffer Vineyards, said in a news release. “Here lies the opportunity to preserve our identity as a strong agricultural region that is revered throughout the world; it makes sense for all of us.”

Beckstoffer family pledges $500,000 toward OLE Health facility

OLE Health Chief Development Officer Rachel Cusick lauded Beckstoffer’s efforts to encourage others in the region to contribute to the project.

“Mr. Beckstoffer’s decision to contribute as well as advocate highlights a commitment to the future of Napa Valley and all our residents,” said Cusick. “We couldn’t be more grateful for his contribution and hope his message resonates with others who have considered giving to the project.”

Beckstoffer family pledges $500,000 toward OLE Health facility

OLE Health’s expansion aims to address a shortage in primary care access for Napa Valley residents, particularly those with public insurance. OLE Health is the only primary care provider in Napa Valley actively accepting children enrolled in Medi-Cal.

The “Building Better Napa” capital campaign has a goal of $30 million to build the new clinic, which is expected to serve more than 15,000 patients annually.

Last week, Napa Valley Vintners donated $6 million, reducing the amount needed to raise to $3.6 million.

A little more than a year ago, I spent a week in Bergerac, France an ancient wine-growing region, more likely recognizable to Americans as home to the fictional Cyrano. Many of the wines were delightful, in some cases exceptional — a few, of course, more “rustic” too. What was the greatest challenge facing Bergerac? Its western neighbor, Bordeaux. This was hardly news. For centuries Bergerac has sought to evade the shadow of the red-wine world’s most powerful regional brand. And despite Bergerac’s recent attempts to market its own fresh identity, the vintners without fail would point out to me the storied vineyards of Saint- Emilion, so near on the horizon you could only speculate where one appellation ended and the next began. I couldn’ help but remember Bergerac’s enduring tale as | crossed from Napa County into Lake County for my inaugural visit. For years I’d only seen Lake County from the northern reaches of Calistoga. Lake County’s viticultural history, however, commenced only three decades later than Napa’s, the first vines planted there in the 1870s. Prohibition all but destroyed Lake County’s wine industry. Winemaker Jed Steele recalls only three wineries when he first came to the area 33 years ago to establish Kendall-Jackson’s Lake County program, That number has now increased tenfold: today more than 30 wineries occupy Lake County, propelling the region into a renewed quest to establish its place on California’s wine map. Lake County has long struggled to project its voice loudly. Roughly 80 percent of Lake County’s grapes make it to bottles without any indication of origin on the label. But many of Lake County’s top producers are placing their faith in one variety to bring the area recognition: Cabernet Sauvignon. “People talk about Cabernet in California being monolithic; [ don’t think these wines are,” says Peter Molnar, co-founder of the lauded Obsidian Ridge Vineyard, Whereas Napa generically divides itself between the brighter, more polished wines from the valley floor versus the rugged, muscular Cabernets cultivated on the hillsides, Lake County grows almost exclusively mountain fruit. “The lake itself is already at 1,300 feet above sea level,” says Debra Sommerfield, president of the Lake County Winegrape Commission. “The whole region is a high-elevation region.” With its mountainous southern border, Lake County barricades the fog that blankets so much California’s North Coast. The result is a higher intensity of UV light that can soften Cabernet’s green flavors. As a whole, Lake County Cabernet can appear lighter on its feet, exuberantly displaying a juicy red fruit purity structured by a cooling backbone of acidity. Photo: Obsidian Ridge Obsidian glass found at Obsidian Ridge. Lake County is home to myriad geologically distinct soils, but the Red Hills appellation has garnered the most attention for its potential to yield world-class Cabernet Sauvignon. The region ascends from Clear Lake’s southwestern banks, with Mount Konocti standing as its northern boundary. The Red Hills derives its name from the striking reddish-amber hued volcanic soils, speckled in some parts by sharp wedges of black obsidian glass, all vestiges of Konocti’s last eruption 13,000 years ago. “They re unique for Cabernet soils that we’ve seen anywhere. We start at 2,000 feet, and that changes everything from barometric pressures to quality of light,” explains all-star vineyard owner Andy Beckstoffer. Beckstoffer is arguably California’s most successful grape grower, his branded vineyards often commanding as much clout on a label as his high-end clients’. An owner of some of Napa’s most coveted heritage vineyard properties, including a portion of Oakville’s historic To Kalon Vineyard, Beckstoffer is placing his bets that the Red Hills will be California’s next great Cabernet territory. In 1996, Andy purchased his Amber Knolls Vineyard in the Red Hills. He explains, “In those days, we could have purchased land in Pope Valley or Napa County for basically the same price we were paying in the Red Hills. We decided to go for the quality we saw in the Red Hills and give up the name of Napa Valley, which is very valuable.” AE Photo: Peter DaSilva, Special To The Chronicle Grapes on teh vine at Gregory Graham winery in Lower Lake, Twenty years later, Beckstoffer finds that his fruit shows greater potential than the resulting wines demonstrate. In a groundbreaking campaign beginning this harvest, Beckstoffer is giving away an acre’s worth of his Lake County grapes to 10 winemakers for three vintages. The move is unprecedented; Beckstoffer typically fetches astronomical prices, at bare minimum over three times Napa’s average cost per ton for Cabernet. Beckstoffer stipulates that winners “have to use the best barrels and materials and winemaking techniques that are used to make these cult Cabernets in Napa Valley.” He’s kept his lips sealed about the recipients. He says: “Theyre people who are hungry to do something new, who are looking to establish themselves even more in making Cabernet.” We won’t see the results of Beckstoffer’s grand experiment for several years, but a handful of Red Hills producers already validate the region’s promise. Obsidian Ridge bottles exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon of complexity and character, while Shannon Ridge and Gregory Graham have also made strides for the appellation, The Red Hills is not alone in Lake County’s pursuit for top-shelf Cabernet. Sommerfield TY says: “Cabernet grows great there, but there are other areas of the county were Cab grows very well,” When May-Britt Malbec first endeavored with her late husband, Denis — both famed Napa winemakers — to purchase fruit for their Lake County label Aliénor, they searched for soils more reminiscent of Bordeaux’s Lefl Bank. (The couple actually met while working at first-growth Chateau Latour.) They found that land in Big Valley, a region most Lake County wineries praise for its Sauvignon Blanc. Malbec says: “The soil reminded my husband very much of the soils in Bordeaux. They’re so much more gravelly than the soil in Napa where we usually make wine,” Aliénor’s Grand Vin, admittedly today a blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot, challenges the Red Hills” monopoly over quality wines from red Bordeaux varieties. VISIT LAKE COUNTY Stargazing in Lake County Touring Lake County’s appellation trail Anderson Marsh: 1 state park preserves 3 histories One day, one place: Lake County’s Kelseyville Across Clear Lake, the nascent High Valley region also indicates a proclivity to Cabernet Sauvignon. Winemaker Joy Merrilees of Shannon Ridge actually predicts that her High Valley Cabernet, a softer, more finessed expression, can outlive their Vigilance Red Hills bottling. At Brassfield, the only other property owners in High Valley. newly appointed winemaker Matt Hughes sees the same prospects, striving to expand the estate’s presently small Cabernet program. Lake County 1sn’t Napa yet. But, with any luck, it won’t every have to be. Lake County’s greatest asset is its grapes, and winegrowers are beginning to recognize the unique conditions that separate their Cabernet country from the rest of California’s. “You can’t farm grapes in Lake County the same way you do in foggy regions. I think that’s showing in the wines,” Sommerfield says. “The wines have gotten markedly better in the last 10 years. Over the next five to 10 years, that’s going to grow. We’d love to share with more people the excitement we have for the region right now.” Bryce Wiatrak is a freelance writer, E-mail: traveltosfolivonicle com Wines to try 2012 Obsidian Ridge “The Slope” Cabernet Sauvignon (Red Hills, Lake County) $43, www. tricyclewine.com. This wine might just be the best Cabernet Sauvignon presently being made in Lake County. Coming from the estate’s steepest plots, “The Slope” presents itself with a broad stoicism. It offers a generous wall of concentrated red plum flavor, grounded by a foundation of rugged black earth that reflects the landscape from which the wine is born. Nuanced with more peppery floral tones, this is a Cabernet of impressive structure and aging potential. 2012 Gregory Graham Crimson Hill Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (Red Hills, Lake County) $30, www.ggwines.com A markedly different expression of the Red Hills than Obsidian Ridge, Gregory Graham’s Crimson Hill Cabernet finds an intriguing figgy, pomegranate profile, The wine carries a certain medicinal quality, tasting of balsamic-soaked herbs and autumn spice. 2010 Aliénor Grand Vin (Lake County) $65, www.alienorwines.com This wine is actually a blend of the other Cabernet, Cab Franc, with Merlot, but 1d be remiss not to mention this exceptional wine in the Right Bank Bordeaux tradition. Alienor’s Grand Vin feels as if it comes from another era, where flavors of dried violet, rose-petal potpourri and antique shop mingle in perfect balance. 2014 Shannon Ridge High Valley Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (High Valley, Lake County) $30, www.shannonridge.com This Cabernet speaks in more hushed tones than Shannon Ridge’s Red Hills equivalent. A wine of purity and grace, the High Valley Cabernet beckons you with charming aromas of rosewater and feminine spice and the purity of its red raspberry flavor. 2012 Langtry Tephra Ridge Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (Lake County) $40. www langtryestate.com Coming from Lake County’s southern edge, along the foothills of Howell Mountain, Langtry’s Tephra Ridge Cabernet balances lively, red berry aromas with a darker, earthier palate. The wine takes off with a fresh red currant acidity, but lingers long with spicier licorice tones.

In the winemaking world the name Beckstoffer is synonymous with quality but it’s truly insufficient to simply say “quality” about the grapes that Andy Beckstoffer grows— it’s rather like saying “nice” about Ferrari or “good” about Krug Champagne. Many of Napa’s most exquisite, sought-after wines are made from Beckstoffer fruit and the duo’s fabled To Kalon Vineyard is globally recognized as one of the finest regions in the world to grow Cabernet Sauvignon. As is often the case with perfectionists like the Beckstoffers, they aren’t resting on their To Kalon laurels; instead they have been busy looking for the next thing and they believe it is in the Red Hills of California’s Lake County.

In fact, they are so confident in the potential of the well-drained Cabernet-friendly soils in Red Hills that they are giving away their best fruit to winemakers willing to take a chance making ultra-premium wines. This past spring the Beckstoffers gave ten lucky winemakers an acre of vineyard fruit each from their Red Hills Amber Knolls Vineyards (for the next three harvests), free of charge. At this time they are not revealing the names of the winemakers, allowing them to have a chance to make the wine for at least one year before announcing.

During a recent interview, Andy Beckstoffer shared his thinking with me on this unprecedented giveaway. Having worked the soils of Amber Knolls for over 20 harvests Beckstoffer has done what he does best- observe the vines and fruit-and now he thinks things are ready. “Atthis point, we’ve established the vineyards as a source for good fruit. We are now looking for the sweet spots- that places that will make an ultra-premium wine and we need the winemakers to take a chance with us.” Given the uncharted territory, Beckstoffer understands that he is asking winemakers to produce an ultra- premium quality wine “that will sell for substantially less than the wines we make fruit for in Napa.” Mind you, less (many of the Beckstoffer wines sell for $350 and upwards a bottle), but not cheap. Beckstoffer isn’t talking about wines that will sell for $20 a bottle; he is hoping these winemakers will produce something in the $80 to $100 range. “Weneed to see from a viticultural point of view if there really is all the promise we think we have in Red Hills.”

So what is in the Red Hills that caught Beckstoffer’s eye in the first place? He points to climate and dirt. “The location has diurnal shifts, so you get acid balance. Then we have the textbook Cabernet Sauvignon soils that are well drained and volcanic. Now it’s just down to the question of making the fruit perform in the hands of the selected winemakers. We also need to determine if the fruit at Red Hills can justify that $80 to $100 price range.”
Beckstoffer isn’t just giving awayfruit; he’salso giving away his expertise. Not only do the winning winemakers get free fruit, they also get the benefit of Beckstoffer’s legendary vineyard management skills. It’s his hope that Red Hills can generate the same quality that he’s enjoyed from To Kalon in Napa. “We are going to do for them exactly the same as we do at To Kalon in Napa, —we are not just selling grapes; we are in the business of selling a branded product. We don’t sell Napa or California, we sell To Kalon. It is a vineyard that has proved and distinguished itself over a period of years.”
The interest from winemakers was quite strong, and Beckstoffer did a thorough job of vetting the final candidates. “This is a serious program. We want to know every detail right down to what kind of barrel they plan to use.” In turn, the Beckstoffers will support the winemakers by customizing the vineyard canopies, carefully monitoring soils and moisture, and tailoring crop loads to optimize fruit quality. After the three- year free of charge program the winemakers will be invited to enter into a long term contract to continue to purchase fruit for their vineyard- designate wine.

I asked him if he ever felt even the least bit tempted to make his own wines. Without skipping a beat he replied, “No, I am not tempted to make wine; we’ve been doing this too long. I’m just not into consumer marketing, or traveling and promoting; I’m into owning the land.” It’s land he’s betting on—we’ll see soon enough if there’s gold in them Red Hills—I’m betting yes.

The chickens have come home to roost at Connolly Ranch.

On Wednesday, the working farm and educational ranch in west Napa hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of its latest addition.

Called the Beckstoffer Grapegrowers Barn, the new building is purely for the birds – chickens, that is.

The project was made possible by a $100,000 donation from the Beckstoffer family and others who contributed their time and efforts.

“It feels great” to officially open the chicken barn, said Andy Beckstoffer, a grapegrower and philanthropist. .

“We want to honor the grapegrowers” of the valley, he said. “The lifeblood of this valley is agriculture.” Plus, “we love chickens,” he said with a smile.

“This place is about kids, education and farming,” Beckstoffer said. “It doesn’t get much better

than that.”

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“We’re thrilled to have the barn now open — number one for our chickens and also for our visitors,” said Connolly Ranch Executive Director Jennifer Fotherby. The ranch welcomed 9,000 visitors last year from Napa and all over the Bay Area, most through its free and subsidized field trip program, she said.

The chicken barn will allow the ranch to offer heritage poultry education, provide space for increased programming and enhance opportunities for visitors to learn where food comes from while experiencing life on the farm.

The barn will become home to several heritage breeds, including Rhode Island Red and Plymouth Rock chickens. The ranch may also raise Java, Jersey Giant and New Hampshire breeds.

Wednesday afternoon, after a red ribbon in front of the barn doors was snipped, crowds of young and older visitors streamed through the 575-square-foot barn, which has room for 60 chickens or chicks.

This is no ordinary chicken coop. The sparkling clean barn — nary a chicken dropping was in sight — has high ceilings and plenty of space for both birds and humans.

More than 200 people attended the ribbon cutting, including Napa mom Cheryl Brown, her mother Donna Holt and Brown’s 9-month-old baby Kelsey Brown.

“We absolutely love” Connolly Ranch, said Cheryl Brown. “Kelsey loves the chickens and roosters so to see them getting a new home is very exciting.” Connolly Ranch teaches the kids the importance of nature and taking care of animals, she said. “It feels like going back in time.”

Sarah Hansen, owner of Model Bakery, is on the Connolly Ranch board. “There are very few farms accessible to the public,” she noted. “It’s something I think all kids should experience.”

Miles Henry, 9, of Napa, was also at the ceremony.

“I like the goats,” said Miles. His favorite is a goat named Sebastian. “It’s cool he has one horn,” he said. “It makes him look like a tough guy.”

His mother, Julie Henry, a blacksmith, created the metal sign that hangs above the new barn. “This is one of my favorite places in Napa,” she said. “There’s just nothing like it.”

Grapegrower Andy Beckstoffer is famous for helping transform grape-growing in Napa Valley into a highly lucrative, luxury-branded business, able to fetch some of the highest-priced cabernet sauvignon grapes in the world. Now he intends to expand his branding prowess to his vineyards in the Red Hills appellation of Lake County. “We believe that the fruit from our Amber Knolls vineyard is the pearl of the Red Hills,” he said in his native Virginia drawl at his Rutherford office. Beckstoffer was referring to his 1,200-cabernet-acre vineyard in Lake County. Up to now, most of the fruit he has produced there has been sold to larger producers, including Clos du Bois and Joel Gott wines, although some has found its way into the hands of elite winemakers such as Thomas Brown and other luminaries. “We’re not in the commodity business,” Beckstoffer said. “We’re in the branded-product business, and we believe that Amber Knolls cab could be in the $80- to $100-per-bottle category of vineyard- designated wine. We are so sure that we are willing to give away 10 acres’ worth of free fruit to prove it.” Beckstoffer was referring to his newest strategy to give 10 winemakers an acre’s worth of cabernet sauvignon grapes for three vintages. Winemakers can apply by Feb. 15 by submitting their cover letters and résumés. According to the Beckstoffer website, qualifications for the applying winemakers include a minimum of five years in winemaking production and knowledge and experience in producing ultra-premium cabernet sauvignon. “We hope the applicants include both established, well-known vintners as well as up-and-comers,” said David Beckstoffer. David is one of Beckstoffer’s sons, and since 1997 he has helped his father run the Beckstoffer Vineyards operation, which oversees the farming of roughly 3,600 acres in Napa Valley, Mendocino County and the Red Hills of Lake County. Beyond being provided free grapes, the chosen winemakers will help with the farming decisions that apply to their selected acre. “Typically, we harvest grapes mechanically up there, but for the acres picked by our chosen winemakers we’ll treat the farming just like our most premier vineyards in Napa Valley, harvesting by hand and reducing the crop loads to 3 or so tons an acre,” David said. “All our vineyards are farmed sustainably, but the winemakers will have a say in farming decisions such as yield, pruning, irrigation and other issues that are key to grape quality.” Many winemakers are excited by this opportunity. “I threw my name into the hat because this seems like a very exciting opportunity to explore a new wine-growing area and work with an amazing farming company,” wrote Keith Emerson in an email. A Boston native, Emerson consults for many brands and is Napa’s Vineyard 29 director of winemaking. He and his partner also have their own brand, Emerson Brown Wines. “I have worked with the Beckstoffer team at a few of their other ranches for several years and have had nothing but the best experiences,” Emerson wrote. “While | have only worked with one Red Hills, Lake County cabernet vineyard, | have tasted several wines made from these vineyards and have a basic understanding of the flavor profile that these unique vineyards produce. There is a lot to learn up there in the Red Hills, and | want to be a part of it.” What is the motivation behind what they are calling “a grape opportunity”? Beckstoffer said, “We’ll get a better understanding of how different parts of the vineyard perform, and because the winning winemakers must use the best barrels and the best techniques, we’ll have a better understanding of what winemaking seems to work.” Beyond that, Beckstoffer hopes that after three years of working with what he says is exceptional- quality fruit, each winemaker will take advantage of their option to sign a long-term contract for the fruit. “We believe that this program is good for us but also for the winemakers and even for Lake County as a whole.” he said. “We think our vineyards in the Red Hills are producing exceptional cabernet, and when the right people see what the vineyard can do, they’ll understand the exceptional opportunity. Eventually, if this works as expected, this will help draw more businesses to the area, including hotels, restaurants and more wineries.” Beckstoffer imagines a day when Lake County is synonymous with what people think of as California Wine Country. Of course, that would also mean he could charge higher prices for his grapes, which provides pause for at least one potential applicant. “I think the fruit can be beautiful from up there,” said a Napa Valley winemaker who asked not to be named. “I considered applying, but right now | can get very good cab from up there at a decent price and then sell the wine for $20 or $30 a bottle with no strings attached.” Will Red Hills AVA become California’s newest, hottest wine country? With Beckstoffer’s track record and reputation, few would bet against it. Or as Keith Emerson wrote, “The Beckstoffer name speaks for itself, and if Andy is betting on Amber Knolls, that seems like something that I’d like to be in on!” For Beckstoffer, the path is clear. “We intend on establishing Amber Knolls as a premium brand,” he said and then smiled widely. “Look, when | got here back in the 1960s, ToKalon cabernet was being used in a blended wine at Beaulieu. At that time, most people didn’t understand that the greatest wines actually came from great vineyards. They were thinking that if there was a great wine, then it must be the winemaker. But now we all know that it’s the vineyard that makes all the difference.” Interested winemakers can submit résumés and cover letters to info@beckstoffervineyards.com

Andy Beckstoffer is a legend in California wine; is there any other way to put it?

The grape grower owns what is certainly California’s most famous, and probably most expensive, vineyard: To Kalon, in the heart of Napa Valley. To Kalon is a vineyard with an aura. Winemakers speak in hushed tones about the prospect of handling its Cabernet; wines that bear the vineyard’s name drown in 100-point scores. And To Kalon is merely the jewel in a crown of sites that represent modern Napa Valley royalty — Beckstoffer’s Dr. Crane, George III, Las Piedras and other vineyards, too, are secured in the canon of the valley’s great terroirs. Long after the deaths of pioneers like André Tchelistcheff and Robert Mondavi, Beckstoffer is one of Napa’s last legends standing.

But today, Beckstoffer and I aren’t in Napa. In fact, we’re not in a place popularly associated with high-quality wine grapes at all. We’re in Lake County, where Beckstoffer owns the 1,200-acre Amber Knolls vineyard in the Red Hills AVA.

From its peak at 2,500 feet above sea level, Amber Knolls is dramatic. Not simply in the way that all vineyards are beautiful — there’s always something irresistible about that precise geometry imposed on boundless nature — but also, even more, in the way Amber Knolls seems to cloak an otherwise virgin, empty swath of Lake County. You get the sense that this monolithic series of vines isn’t one of many vineyards here but is the vineyard here, the single event, the locus.

That impression of singularity suits Andy Beckstoffer just fine.

“We’ve got the pearl of the Red Hills,” Beckstoffer, 76, says. “There won’t be many developments of this scale here anymore.”

Beckstoffer is notorious for his sky-high grape prices, and famously unapologetic for pioneering an unorthodox pricing scheme. In the 1970s, he began charging for grapes based on the revenue that his clients (winemakers) were generating from their wine sales; generally, grape pricing works the other way around, where a grower sets the fruit price and the winemaker sets his bottle prices accordingly. “I’m not going to say it was an overnight success,” Beckstoffer says, grinning. His fee has evolved over time, and for his highest- caliber Napa vineyards he now asks for 175 times the bottle price of a wine, so that a winemaker charging $200 for a bottle (which is not at To Kalon’s high end) pays $35,000 per ton of grapes. His minimum price per ton is $17,500. In 2014, the average price for a ton of Napa Cab grapes was about $5,800.

Which makes it all the more remarkable that Beckstoffer is about to give away Cabernet from Amber Knolls for free.

It’s a move without precedent, all the more shocking given Beckstoffer’s typically prodigious profits. Here’s how it will work: Interested winemakers can submit resumes and cover letters to Beckstoffer. He will select 10 worthy candidates and will give each an acre’s worth of Cabernet, gratis, for three vintages. Each winemaker can select whichever acre block she’d like.

By Beckstoffer’s own admission, the Amber Knolls program is a publicity stunt — but one that he believes serves a deeper purpose. “If one winemaker makes great wine, the winemaker must be great,” he says. “But if 10 winemakers make great wine, maybe it’s the vineyard that’s great.”

Or maybe even the region. “We’ve got to get the right people to come to Lake County.”

Lake and Napa were once a single county, but they separated in 1861. There’s been a Lake wine industry (albeit a small one) since the 19th century, when British actress Lillie Langtry established a winery in what is now the Guenoc Valley AVA.

Somehow, Lake County missed out on the wine boom that its neighbors enjoyed in the late 20th century. Sparsely developed, Lake got a reputation as a place where big guys like Beringer and Kendall-Jackson grew blending grapes for inexpensive, North Coast-appellated wines. And although Napa 30 years ago wasn’t exactly a booming metropolis either, Lake County “was all RVs and beer cans,” as Beckstoffer puts it.

But while Lake County wasn’t known for premium wine, it also never became volume-driven. It was and remains tiny, with less than 9,000 planted vineyard acres; compare that with Napa’s 45,000 and Sonoma’s 60,000. Not maligned like, say, Lodi, it’s simply been off the radar of most people.

If not for the 1861 split, this would have been prime wine country, Beckstoffer points out. “Just imagine if Bob Mondavi had come to Middletown.”

I decided I had to see this vineyard for myself. As the Beckstoffers and I drive from Napa to Amber Knolls, the clusters of wineries on Howell Mountain empty out into barren Butts Canyon. The scorch of the recent wildfires is everywhere, singed slopes of black earth framing the road. That Napa’s spillover will be forced into this no man’s land eventually seems obvious.

Today, both Andy and his son David, 54, who helps him run the business, are dressed the part of dirt farmers in worn brown jackets, jeans and boots. But don’t be fooled. These dirt farmers have Ivy League MBAs — Beckstoffer, from Dartmouth’s Tuck; David, from Pennsylvania’s Wharton. They’re no yeomen. They know what they’re doing.

Beckstoffer speaks in the mellifluous drawl of his native Virginia. A true businessman, he’s exceedingly articulate, well-rehearsed, quietly confident. “We’re not in the commodity business,” Beckstoffer says, leaning over from the driver’s seat of his Lexus SUV. “We’re in the branded product business.”

Which means he’s not interested simply in selling grapes at a profit — he’s doing that at Amber Knolls already — but in establishing Amber Knolls as a premium brand, as he’s done so successfully with his Napa sites. So promising is this area, he believes, that it’s only a matter of infrastructure (restaurants and tasting rooms to lure wine tourists) and exposure (high-visibility winemakers) before the world understands the potential of the Red Hills for Cabernet.

When we finally arrive and roam the vineyard, I start to see what they’ve gotten so worked up about. Amber Knolls’ extreme elevation, coupled with the clarity of the air (there’s no industry nearby to pollute it), gives great sun exposure, which can lead to thick grape skins with intense phenolics. It’s arid, never foggy. Its position on a north-facing slope restrains the intense heat. Groundwater is abundant across all 1,200 acres. Most striking is the soil: Volcanic matter blown over from nearby Mount Konocti, this red dirt is studded with glassy black obsidian rock, packed about 12 feet deep.

What does Beckstoffer want to accomplish here? “We want to see if we can vineyard-designate Amber Knolls, and if we can get people to make $80 to $100 bottles of wine,” he says. He hopes that the applicants for his grape giveaway program will include both established, well-known vintners as well as up-and- comers. The prerequisites: They must have a record of making good Cabernet, “and they must use the best barrels, the best techniques,” he says.

The hype is already working. “I’m definitely going to apply,” Greg Harrington, owner of Washington’s Gramercy Cellars, told me later. “The opportunity to work with someone like Andy Beckstoffer would be amazing — plus there’s the soil profile, all that obsidian.” Jack Bittner, owner of Franz Hill Vineyard, added: “New regions don’t always get somebody who has that kind of knowledge and dedication to viticulture. It’s going to take someone like Andy to give it real recognition and credibility.”

The real objective, Beckstoffer says, is to make Lake County wine country: “Give us 40 years, and we just might do it.”

Hearing a grape grower talk about branding is a new one for me. Beckstoffer repeats his mantra over the course of the day, “We’re farmers second, entrepreneurs first.” His company prides itself on seamless logistics and customer service. He won’t invest in small parcels: “We weren’t going to come all the way up here to farm just 300 acres.” For the most part, they harvest grapes mechanically, not by hand. And whereas many growers wax poetic about the diversity in their soil types, Beckstoffer loves Amber Knolls for its clean uniformity. “You won’t hear us talking about the romance of wine,” says David Beckstoffer.

Yet there is romance in the Beckstoffers’ project here — the romance of the frontier, of forging a new path in a nascent land. The Amber Knolls aesthetic enacts this. A new office on the property is styled like “old-time western Sierra Hills country.” Beckstoffer’s cabin here is lined with antique Americana, including a vintage 48-star American flag. It’s all part of the dirt farmer persona that Beckstoffer inhabits, and delivers with a wink.

“There’s always been this sense in the Red Hills that ‘the railroad is coming,’” laughs Randy Krag, the Amber Knolls viticulturist. He jokes, but he’s right. And the implication is clear: that Beckstoffer is the baron — the visionary who will transform nothing into something, Lake County into wine country. Maybe the true payoff here is the exclusive right to that glory. How many dollars per ton is that worth?!

On Monday, September 21, 2015, Beckstoffer Vineyards announced its donation of $50,000 to the #LakeCountyRising fundraising campaign. “We’re part of the community,” said Andy Beckstoffer, founder, chairman, and owner of Beckstoffer Vineyards. “We have major vineyard holdings in Lake County, and many of our people live in Lake County.”
“On behalf of the Lake County community, we are grateful for the generosity we’re seeing from across the region,” said Debra Sommerfield, president of the Lake County Winegrape Commission, one of three organizations who have partnered to establish the #LakeCountyRising fundraising effort.

LakeCountyRising is a fundraising effort to support community rebuilding in the areas ravaged by the Valley Fire with a focus on livelihood, housing, and community needs. The effort was initiated by three Lake County organizations: Lake County Winegrape Commission, Lake County Winery Association, and Lake County Wine Alliance, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that will manage the collection and distribution of tax-deductible donations.

“This generous donation by the Beckstoffer family is a wonderful example of how the wine industry is coming together with significant support,” Sommerfield said.
Beckstoffer Vineyards farms more than 1,300 acres in the Red Hills of Lake County, in addition to its 1,000. acres in the Napa Valley and 1,300 acres in Mendocino County.
“We hope this will motivate other people to give,” Beckstoffer said.

LakeCountyRising aims to raise significant funds over the coming weeks and months to help members of the Lake County community cope, adjust, and rebuild after the Valley Fire. #LakeCountyRising is working with local organizations and government agencies to identify the most pressing community needs.

To donate, visit the Lake County Rising page on Facebook,www.facebook.com/LakeCountyRising, to make a donation online using PayPal, or send a check made payable to Lake County Wine Alliance, memo “Lake County Rising Fire Relief Fund,” to:
Lake County Wine Alliance
P.O. Box 530
Kelseyville, CA 95451

Connolly Ranch, the farm- ing and environmental education center in Browns Valley, will receive a new showcase in the coming months.
Work will begin next month on the Beckstoffer Grapegrowers Barn, which will become home to the ranch’s collection of heritage-bred poultry. The 576-square-foot wooden structure will host hands-on demonstrations for children, and double as a second indoor space for classes and lectures, particularly in the rainy winter months.
Funded by a $100,000 donation from Napa Valley winemaker Andy Beckstoffer and his wife Betty, the barn project will break ground Sept. 2, according to Jen- nifer Thacher Fotherby, executive director of Connolly Ranch. Construction is expected to last six weeks, weather permitting, with a for- mal grand opening planned for the spring of 2016.
Inside the barn will be incu- bators and brooders, around which visiting children can view the chickens and observe their life cycle, accord- ing to Fotherby. The interior will include a large assembly space that can be used whole for classes, lessons and field- trip groups, or divided into smaller sections for hands- on education.

RANCH

Connolly Ranch hosts its heritage fowl, and its learning visits for chil- dren, in a fenced outdoor pen with chicken houses near the barn’s future site. Ranch directors say the upgrade will allow instructors to expand their ambitions to include adult-oriented education, including lectures and presentations on envi- ronmentally sustainable food growing.
“For the kids, we ID breeds, teach them about life cycles and creating an environment for natural production,” Fotherby said. “It’s a great learn- ing tool for kids but also a great shift for us as a facility to become the best in class in sustainable farming and the farm-to- table movement, to host speakers and workshops on the topic.”
In addition, the Beck- stoffer barn will become a second indoor venue for the ranch, enabling it to more easily host a variety of events in the rainier winter months. Fotherby said the space will host activities for the Harvest Festival in November and Earth Night in April, as well as activities during the ranch’s monthly Walk- In Wednesdays.
While Connolly Ranch has envisioned an indoor poultry center for several years, planning began in earnest after the Beckstof- fers visited the center in May 2014.
“We went down there and saw what they were doing, and saw this sea of kids playing with goats, lambs, looking at bugs, looking in the gardens,”Andy Beckstof- fer recalled. “And I thought to myself, ‘Jesus, this is something really interest- ing and I would like to be a part of it!”
In July, the couple pledged money for the barn to Connolly Ranch, which hired the Napa architect Terry Tracy – designer of the center’s main barn in 1999 to pen the new building.
Though the barn will carry the name of its benefactor, Beckstoffer said he insisted that the building also acknowl- edge the farmers of Napa County’s wine industry- not only as a tribute but as a call to action as well.
“It is the grapegrow- ers’ barn, and I hope it encourages other grape- growers to get involved,” he said. “This is our (territory) educating kids to know what being outside and being with animals and growing food is all about.”

The California Association of Winegrape Growers on July 2 said it selected Andy Beckstoffer, owner of Rutherford-based Beckstoffer Vineyards, as its 2015 Grower of the Year.
The trade group’s Grower of the Year award is presented to a farmer whose personal commitment and record of leadership has benefited California’s wine industry. Beckstoffer is the fourth recipient of the award, which CAWG created to inspire leadership and to acknowledge members who exemplify the strength and influence of the association.
“Andy inspired grape growers to become better and smarter in the vineyard and in the business world,” said David Weiss, owner of Bella Vista Farming in Kelseyville. “He is a model of how hard work and the effective use of technology can deliver the best quality grapes that command top dollar.”
The award will be presented at the association’s annual meeting and Awards of Excellence program on July 22 in Napa.
Beckstoffer is one of the top 20 largest grape growers in California, the largest nonwinery owner of Napa Valley and North Coast vineyards and Beскstoпer vineyards grows winegrapes on about 1,000 acres or vineyards in Napa Valley, 1,500 acres in Mendocino County and 1,500 acres in the Red Hills appellation in Lake County.
“Fortunately, Andy’s passion for growing the best fruit to make the best wine extended beyond Napa Valley,” said Michael Boer, who owns Stipp Ranch in Ukiah and once worked for Beckstoffer. “Andy’s reach with vineyards into Mendocino and Lake Counties has elevated this area into greater prominence as a producer of quality wines.”
In 1970 Beckstoffer and his family moved to California where he worked as president of a farming company, a subsidiary of Hublein. He purchased the farming company in 1973 and gave it a new name – Beckstoffer Vineyards. As a winegrape grower, Beckstoffer was among the first to introduce the use of overhead sprinkler systems for frost protection, the use of drip irrigation and innovations in trellising and vine spacing.
Beckstoffer was also influential as a founder of the Napa Valley Grapegrowers Association where he would serve as its second president. During his term, he initiated the Bottle Price Formula, where the price of grapes was tied to the retail price of the finished wine.
In 1989 Beckstoffer is credited as a leader in the Napa Valley Grape Growers trade group in establishing Napa County’s Winery Definition Ordinance, which requires that 75 percent of grapes used in Napa Valley wines must come from the appellation. Five years later, he founded and served as first president of the Rutherford Dust Society, where he promoted high-quality winegrape growing standards in the Rutherford viticultural area of the Napa Valley.
Through the years, numerous news articles have focused on Beckstoffer’s passion for the grape and the wine business, describing him as “a legendary grower” and “the man behind many of the finest wines made in the Napa Valley.” He received the first Grower of the Year Award in 2006 from the Napa Valley Grapegrowers and was acknowledged as Agriculturist of the Year by the Napa County Farm Bureau. In 2010, Beckstoffer was inducted into the Vintners Hall of Fame.

The late, revered winemaker Andre Tchelistcheff often said that “it takes Rutherford Dust to grow great Cabernet.” He was speaking of specific sensory components inherent to the appellations wines, but what the world now refers to as “Rutherford Dust” has also come to reflect an enduring commitment to quality, a spirit of achievement and a deep connection to this appellation’s soil.

Since Rutherford’s earliest days, its growers and vintners have been committed to quality, and this attitude is the driving force behind its distinguished vineyards and wines.

Founded in 1994 by wine grape growers and producers, the Rutherford Dust Society’s (RDS) stated mission is to help wine lovers discover Ruth- erford’s unique expression of wine grape terroir. In 2007, the RDS created a consumer-focused branch called Rutherford Appellation Wineries (the two branches have recently merged), with the express purpose of intro- ducing die Rutherford A V A and its wines to consumers.

A NOTE FROM THE PREZ

Regina Weinstein, director of marketing at Honig Vineyard and Winery (and family member and partner there, as well), the current president of the RDS, says the organization “is really an opportunity to share experiences, work together to resolve issues, promote the American Viticultural Area (AVA)to trade and media and find wavs to support the community of Rutherford.”

Members pay dues to the RDS to support its missions and to offset the cost of the marketing and outreach programs that RDS under- takes each year.These programs raise funds that are donated back into thecommunity,supportingsuchorganizationsasthe RutherfordVol- unteer Fire Department, the Rutherford Grange and the Rutherford 4-H Club. RDS also supports various trade and consumer-focused events such as the Rutherford Wine F.xperience (May 1 -3, 2015) and the Day in the Dust Media and Trade Event (July 15, 2015), along with Auction Napa Valley (June 5-7, 2015).

THE LAND

“The Napa Valley is one of the most recognized wine growing regions in the world,” says Weinstein, “but it is important to remember that it is made up of many sub-appellations with unique growing characteristics which impact grapes grown, as well as wines produced.”

The Rutherford AVA encompasses approximately six square miles that begin just south of Cakebrcad Cellars and BV Vineyard #2 along Highway 29. It ends at Zinfandel Lane, 3.3 miles to the north, and stretches across the valley two miles at its widest point from Mt. St.John on the west to the Vaca Mountain Range on the east.

The soils from this districts three alluvial tans are primarily gravelly, sandy and loamy, having been formed from shat- tered, well-bedded sandstone deposits that are dominated by marine sediments with some volcanic materials. Deep and well-drained, they contain pockets that allow runoff to easily flow to nearby streams and the Napa River, characteristics that benefit both Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc.

Rutherford has an average rainfall of 26-36 inches per year and, although bordered on the west and east by two moun- tain ranges, the A V A does not extend more than 500 feet above sea level.

One of its more unusual aspects is a higher radiant value than other parts of the Napa Valley. In other words, because the area is located in the valley’s widest point, it spends more time in the sun.

Although the spring season is typically mild, it can bring freezing temperatures at night, especially during March and April, ^ a r m summer days ripen the grapes before giving way to cool evenings that promote balanced acidity and tannin. An average summer day’s temperature can drop 12° F. immediately after sunset, the fluctuation allowing the fruit to ripen at a steady pace.

THE WINES

According to Daniel Moberg, co-owner of Vintclligent Marketing and current executive director of the RDS, “the defining flavor characteristics of Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon [the most widely planted variety] are currants, black cherry and a slight dusty, mocha element that is often referred to as ‘Rutherford Dust.'”

W hen Moberg considers white wines from Rutherford, spe- cifically Sauvignon Blanc, “I think of great minerality, orange blossom, flint and citrus fruits. Also, while Rutherford is known for its red and white Bordeaux varieties, a standout in the appellation is the Star Vineyard, which produces Burgun- dian varieties such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. One ot my favorite Pinot Noirs is made by I-.1 Molino \Vinery from this vineyard, whose soil lends a certain richness ot bright red fruit and a loamy earth note that sets it apart from other Napa Valley Pinots.”

Rutherford first earned worldwide recognition in 1939 when Georges de Latour won a gold medal at the Golden date International Exposition for his 1936 Beaulieu Vine- yard Cabernet Sauvignon. Since that time, BV’s Private Reserves have set a standard tor many of the appellation’s winer- ies. But many other varieties are grown and produced in the AYA, including Cabernet Franc, Carmcncre, Chardonnay, Malbec, Mar- sanne, Mcrlot, Petite Sirah, Petit Yerdot, Pinot Noir, Roussanne, Sangiovcse, Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Ciris, Sauvignon Musque, Semillon, Syrah, Tenant, Viognier and Zinrandcl.

To be associated with the RDS, a winery must either grow the cited variety within the A Y A or produce a varietal wine that includes at least 85% Rutherford-grown grapes (it must also contain at least ~”)% of the named grape). A separate section of the RDS has been created tor producers of Meritage wines—wines that are patently Rutherford wines but may not conform to the minimum percentage necessary to be designated as a varietal wine.

PRESERVING THE DUST

In 2002, the RDS board of directors voted unanimously to empower a subcommittee, the Rutherford Dust (Napa River) Restora- tion Team (RDRT or “our dirt”), to initiate a plan to manage and restore a – t ‘ 2 mile reach ot the Napa River in partnership with Napa County. This committee is chaired by Rutherford Dust Society board member Davie Piha, owner ot Piha Vineyard Management, and includes over 25 riverside property owners.

According to Piha, the Napa River required management and resto- ration because “it had been confined by farmers, ranchers, roads and bridges. Over the years, the river incised and that made the banks tail. The added silt in the water caused the river to be impaired.”

The RDS created RDRT and funded its start. “The county w.is drawn into the program with ‘Measure A’ money [a halt-cent sales tax to help pay tor flood control and protection work in Napa],” says Piha. “\\Tien we showed up with a plan to correct die problem, the owners and the community immediately got behind it. Vie brought community and they brought money, permits and the construction abilities to make it happen.”

Project construction commenced at the Zinfandel Lane Bridge (the upstream boundary of the project area) in July 2009. As of the writing ot this piece, three phases have been implemented, complet- ing the project downstream to the Rutherford Cross Road. Restora- tion ot the remaining reaches between the Rutherford and Oakville Cross Roads is scheduled to be complete by 2017″.

Founded by wine grape growers and producers, but also serving wine lovers, the RDS helps all interested parties discover Ruther- ford’s unique terroir through conservation, smart management and focused education. Don’t neglect this amazing resource when you plan your next trip to the Napa Valley.

There are many great vineyards in California, but very few people will see their names on a label. That’s because they often belong to a single producer turning out wines in tiny amounts. A handful of vineyards, however, supply multiple producers who create wines that are more readily attainable-though no less profound.

The following five vineyards range from small to large but have two things in common: They’ve produced notable wines for decades, and top winemakers in California vie for the opportunity to buy their grapes. Anyone looking for wines of reliably high quality should seek out labels bearing these names.

Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard I Napa Valley

Andy Beckstoffer is one of Napa’s great land barons, with more than 1,000 planted acres to his name. His holdings include many prestigious properties, but Beckstoffer To Kalan Vineyard is unquestionably his best.

Planted in 1868, the To Kalan Vineyard, in Oakville, has long been a source of great Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. Mr. Beckstoffer owns 89 acres. The rest is owned by Opus One, the joint venture of Chateau Mouton Rothschild and Robert Mondavi, and by Robert Mondavi Winery, which owns the To Kalan trademark. That’s why Mr. Beckstoffer’s portion of the vineyard must include his last name.

Mr. Beckstoffer is at once an ardent preservationist and a shrewd businessman. He has fought to have his and others’ properties protected from future development, and he has devised an aggressive pricing formula for his grapes. Mr. Beckstoffer charges winemakers hedeemsworthyofToKalonfruit(heturns awaymany)175timesthewine’sretailprice per ton of grapes. If a producer charges $300 for a bottle of his Beckstoffer To Kalon wine, the price is $50,000 for a ton of grapes (about five times the going rate for a ton of premium Napa Cabernet). Producers must charge a minimum of $125 per bottle for Beckstoffer To Kalon wine, although most cost much more.

Mr. Beckstoffer says his producers get what they pay for. When I stopped by his office last month he handed me a thick sheaf of papers showing that various Beckstoffer To Kalon bottlings had been awarded very high critical ratings, including 100-point scores. Among the producers were some of Napa’s greatest estates: Realm Cellars, Paul Hobbs, Tor Kenward, Carter Cellars, and Schrader Cellars.

Fred Schrader, of Schrader Cellars, was the first producer of a Beckstoffer To Kalon wine (a 2000 vintage). He praised the vineyard for its “purity of fruit, laced with incredible nuance.” This was ce1tainlytrue of the To Kalon wines I tasted: the powerful Paul Hobbs bottling, the lithe Carter Cellars and the 2012 Schrader Cellars CCSBeckstoffer To Kalon Cabernet Sauvignon ($175 on release, now as much as $900 retail), whose texture was supple yet dense. Did Mr. Schrader think Mr. Beckstoffer charged too much for his grapes? He did not. “If you can get it, you should take it,” he said with a laugh.

Bien Nacido Vineyard I Santa Barbara

At nearly 900 acres, Bien Nacido in the Santa Maria Valley of Santa Barbara is a great vineyard supersized. The cool, sprawling place features both hillsides and flatter ground and 15 different grape varieties, although its Syrah, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are the most renowned.

The Miller family bought Bien Nacido in 1969, and the Millers have made improvements over the years. Its grapes are the basis of hundreds of notable wines, and a short list of their names reads like a roll call of Santa Barbara greats: Au Bon Climat, Qupe, Foxen, Sine Qua Non and Hitching Post, as well as newer stars such as Chanin, Longoria and Paul Lato. Some 35 producers turn out vineyard-designate wines, but as Nicholas Miller noted, about two thirds of the grapes purchased do not go into a wine with the vineyard name. (Every Bien Nacido-designated wine is tasted by the Millers to make sure it meets their standards; occasionally they’ve had to tell a producer it couldn’t put the Bien Nacido name on its label.)

Bob Lindquist, of Qupe Vineyards, was one of the first producers to make a Bien Nacido wine, a 1987 Syrah. Mr. Lindquist said the vineyard is notable for its cool climate as well as itslocationand poorsoil.”Thegrapeshaveto strugglea bit,”saidMr.Lindquist. (Grapes have more character and complexity if they struggle.) Gavin Chanin, of Chanin Wine Company, credited the vineyard’s management and viticulture. “Bien Nacido is at the forefront of farming in Santa Barbara,” he said. Mr. Chanin makes Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the vineyard, and the 2012 Chanin Wine Company Bien Nacido Vineyard Chardonnay ($35) shows the quality of the vineyard: full bodied and rich, with a firm mineral thread.

Hirsch Vineyard ISonoma Coast

High on a ridge on the Sonoma Coast, 2.5 miles from the Pacific Ocean, Hirsch Vineyard is decidedly remote. The 45-minute drive from the coastal town of Jenner is rugged and so full of switchbacks and sharp turns that the vineyard’s director of private-client services, Juliana Chioffi, recalled a man so disconcerted by the ride that when he got out of his car, he told her, ”This better be worth it.” All was well when be tasted the wines. Hirsch Vineyard is home to some of the finest Pinot Noirs in California-and relatively few visitors.

First planted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay by its namesake owner and vintner, David Hirsch, in 1980, Hirsch Vineyard now totals 72 acres. The group of winemakers fortunate enough to buy the fruit is small and includes Hirsch as well as Ted Lemon of Littorai, Williams Selyem, Lioco, Under the Wire, FEL, B. Kosuge and Failla. Many buy fruit based on handshake contracts with Mr. Hirsch.

A range of styles and flavors reflect the vineyard’s varied exposures and terrains. Some Hirsch Pinots-such as the Williams Selyem-are lush and aromatically beguiling, with dark and red fruit notes. Others, like the 2012 Littorai Hirsch Vineyard Pinot Noir ($125) from Ted Lemon, are big, bold, structured wines. The diversity of expressions within the vineyard make it great, said both Mr. Lemon and Ehren Jordan of Failla Wines, who called it “a village of grapes.”

Larry Hyde knows every inch of his almost 200-acre Carneros vineyard, and after my visit I’m convinced he wanted me to know it just as well. Mr. Hyde drove from one place in the vineyard to the next, pointing out where he’d recently done some replanting, some experimenting with clones and rootstocks and even changed the direction of some vine rows. He even gave me maps to study on my way home.

Chardonnay is the most important variety, although nine varieties are planted throughout. Currently about 35 producers buy grapes from the Hyde family, but only 12 or so vintners make vineyard-designate wines. Some of the best known names include Paul Hobbs, Kistler Vineyards, Patz & Hall, HdV and David Ramey. Mr. Ramey, a longtime Hyde client, came along for the vineyard ride and afterward poured his richly textured 2012 Ramey Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay ($60) and a couple of older wines (the 2005 was gorgeous and remarkably youthful) as well as a few other Hyde Vineyard- designate wines from HdV and Paul Hobbs.

Mr. Hyde doesn’t interfere with winemaking decisions. “It’s important to me that they pay for their grapes. After that, they can pretty much do whatever they want,” he said. But like the Millers, he tastes every wine that might bear the Hyde label.

Savoy Vineyard IAnderson Valley

The Savoy Vineyard in Mendocino County’s Anderson Valley isn’t easy to find on a map or in person. I had to flag down a local to escort me there. Planted by Richard Savoy in 1992, Savoy is a Pinot-dominant 43-acre vineyard, with a small amount (5 acres) of Chardonnay planted as well. Tucked against a hill, the vineyard was a great place of experimentation for Mr. Savoy, who was “constantly tinkering with different clones,” said

Ryan Hodgins, winemaker at FEL, the Anderson Valley winery formerly known as Breggo.

Napa vintner Cliff Lede bought Savoy Vineyard in 2011 and Breggo in 2009. Savoy may be a small vineyard, but it is well represented in the world by acclaimed producers such as Peay, Radio-Coteau, Littorai, Auteur, Barnett, Failla and of course, FEL.

Every winemaker has a different style of Savoy Pinot Noir, Mr. Hodgins noted. FEL’s, for example, was distinctly savory, while the Radio- Coteau was bigger and more concentrated. Ehren Jordan of Failla liked Savoy because the vineyard climate was “just cool enough but not radically cool, where you are on a tightrope 100 feet up,” wondering if the fruit will get ripe. He also liked the “tension and acidity” found in Savoy wines, qualities his 2012 Failla SavoyVineyard Pinot Noir ($65) definitely had, along with a vibrant acidity and lots of dense fruit.

Winemakers like to say great wine is made in the vineyard. I’m not sure how much they believe this and how much it’s just a catchy sound bite. One thing I know to be true: A great vineyard is where a great wine must start.

See wine videos and more from Off Duty at youtube.com/wsj.com. Email Lettie at wine@wsj.com

A 2013 Visit Napa Valley study found that, of the many reasons people from all over the world choose to visit the region, first on the list is the area’s natural beauty, closely followed by wine, food and, then, farther down, the rest of the lifestyle amenities. What the casual visitor may experience but not see is what keeps the place coherent: the love for the land and the shared dedication to maintaining a sustainable balance for the benefit of the whole. Maintaining this delicate balance, like the balance in a fine wine, is always a work in progress.
As NorthBay biz takes the measure of where Napa County stands at the start of 2014, we’ll consider some of the major issues and some of the ways the community is managing to work together to maintain the balance essential to all. We’ll start, as visitors do, with the land and end with what may (to some) come as a surprise: how Napa County is making a national name for itself not only in wine and lifestyle but in the success of its innovative educational model.

First the land

The Napa Valley brand, literally, comes with the territory. Geographically blessed with soil and climate and topographical coherence, thanks to the embrace of the Vaca Range on the east and the Mayacamas to the west, Napa Valley, with its (usually) quiet river and picturesque vineyards, is commonly referred to by those who live here as a paradise. And like the original paradise, there are threats, some of which are generated by the very success of the valley itself.
To maintain the integrity of Napa’s biodiversity, scenic views and agricultural character, the Napa Land Trust, with its 1,700 active members, partners with landowners, business and other nonprofits, as well as with local, state and federal agencies to preserve and protect lands into perpetuity. “So far,” says Doug Parker, Napa Land Trust CEO, “we’ve protected more than 53,000 acres and completed 150 real estate conservation projects with landowners around the county. That shows the willingness and interest of landowners to do this and our ability to work successfully with a wide range of landowners.” The rewards may be taken for granted by those who view the valley from afar, but for those who do the work, the rewards are constant and personal. “There’s nothing more tangible than land,” says Parker. “It’s something you can stand on. It’s real.”
After 37 years, Land Trust members can look back with satisfaction. At a 2013 event, Parker says, the organization honored Harold Kelly, who was on the board of the Land Trust and had helped protect a piece of land 37 years ago -“and it’s still there, just as spectacular as it was then. And because we protected the land in perpetuity, it will be there far, far into the future.” The Land trust also honored four landowners, Francis and Eleanor Coppola, David and Nancy Garden, Bruce and Martha Attwater and Ted and Laddie Hall, who protected about 1,500 acres by donating easements on their own lands.

Napa Valley’s strong agricultural identity
Whether focusing on the land, wine, culture or the general ambiance, the miracle of Napa Valley is held together by the vision of extraordinary, ordinary people. “We’ve been really, really fortunate to have committed, dedicated people who love the valley from an agricultural standpoint,” says Clay Gregory, CEO of Visit Napa Valley.
“The first agricultural preserve in the United States was Clay Gregory is CEO of Visit Napa Valley put in place by visionary Napa Valley vintners in 1968,” he reminds us. “Robert Mondavi’s winery was only two years old at that time. And there were some really smart people who saw Napa Valley could become a developed suburb of San Francisco instead of a prime agricultural region. They put in place the Ag Preserve, which has kept the place so special in spite of the fact we’re so near a major metropolitan area.”
St. Helena grower Andy Beckstoffer, who’s been speaking out for the Ag Preserve for more than 40 years, says that, while things are generally going well in the agricultural domain, and 2013 has been a great harvest, we shouldn’t become complacent about the brand. “These days, we’re crushing too many non-Napa grapes,” he says, “and that has an effect not only on the Ag Preserve but on the Napa brand.” He explains that a visitor can purchase a wine in the valley, expect it to be a genuine Napa Valley wine, and not notice it’s made with “California Cabernet,” not “Napa Valley Cabernet.” It’s not an outright deception, he says, but it gives a deceptive impression. “What you see is not what you get-and that’s bad.”
His second concern is for the health of the Ag Preserve itself. “The hospitality functions at wineries are out of balance with their production facilities,” he says. “Wineries are supposed to be producing wine, but they want direct-to-consumer sales. I understand that. But it gets out of balance.”

For him, the city of Napa’s move into the wine business is a very good thing. It helps the Ag Preserve and, therefore, the Napa Valley brand. “There are now 30 wine tasting rooms [in city limits],” he points out. “This is important, because as they take on the hospitality function, it relieves the Ag Preserve of the hospitality functions that have developed around wineries and which have a major influence on traffic, environmental issues and our neighborhoods.”

Growth with balance
Linda Reiff, president of Napa Valley Vintners (NVV), says the success of Napa Valley’s wine industry is about balance. “From our perspective representing the wine industry, the culture of the valley is one that balances land and environmental preservation with business success to ensure Napa Valley’s position as one of the premiere wine regions in the world.” If the success of the organization’s annual auction is any measure, the formula is working.
Since 1981, through its Auction Napa Valley, NVV has given more than $120 million to Napa County nonprofits. In 2013, the $16.9 million raised easily topped the previous record. This is good news for the wine industry and for the community at-large. “We have this deep and beautiful philosophy of taking care of our community,” says Reiff. “I think it’s an important legacy of the Napa Valley wine industry.” Through the auction, NVV supports local organizations that enhance the community through health care, youth development and affordable housing.
“The idea that a rising tide lifts all boats is a core value of the Napa Valley wine industry, and it’s the spirit with which our organization was founded nearly 70 years ago,” she says. “I think we’ve set an example of how an industry can come together and give back to help ensure the health and well-being of its community. We want this to be an incredible place for everyone,” she says, adding, “just look out the window, and you’ll remember we’re extremely fortunate. We have tremendous responsibility to help keep this place in amazing shape.”

Changes in the industry

Big winery sales this year have made news. The Wall Street Journal called it a “harvest” of wineries. Clos Pegase was sold to a group of investors including Dean and DeLuca owner Leslie Rudd; Mayacamas Vineyards was sold to private investor Charles Banks, former co-owner of Screaming Eagle; and Araujo Estate Wines was sold to French billionaire Francois Pinault. While three big sales may sound like a trend, Linda Reiff reminds that Napa Valley is also experiencing an increase in small brands made by wineries and winemakers who, for one reason or another, don’t own vineyards.
“I think the proliferation of small brands has been quite exciting,” she says. “We now have almost 500 wineries in our association, and that represents significant growth. But,” she adds, “80 percent of our brands produce less than 10,000 cases of wine per year.”
So, for those wanting their own brand without buying in to the traditional model-purchasing a vineyard then building a winery (making a small fortune by starting with a large one)-experienced winemakers and new enthusiasts can now create their own labels with a lower capital investment.

Practicing sustainability
NVV’s 2011 Climate Study Task Force showed Napa Valley as unique, because it’s neither coastal nor interior but has climatic attributes of both. The study showed the valley has warmed slightly over the recent decades but not to the degree reported in broader California studies–the warming has only occurred in nighttime temperatures during winter and spring, not in daytime temperatures. “We have to remember that the wine industry is based on farming, first and foremost, and farmers will adapt to whatever change is occurring,” says Reiff.
Meanwhile, she’s proud of the sustainability program promoted by NVV. The Napa Green Certified Land and Winery programs are successfully working throughout the valley. The land program was developed collaboratively by NVV, Napa Valley Grapegrowers and nearly 30 community organizations and government entities and certifies participating vineyards that work with the California Land Stewardship Institute (CLSI) to adopt “best practices” for land use (the winery program is separately certified by the county). Upon enrollment in the land program, participating landowners receive technical assistance and a field review, then work up a Farm Plan to consider all aspects of responsible watershed management. To be certified, the grower’s plan must be approved by a team made up of representatives from NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Fisheries, Regional Water Quality Control Board and the Napa Agricultural Commissioner’s Office. “I think proactive efforts, like our Napa Green Certified Land and Winery programs, are good examples of how we’re leading the way to protect the valley for future generations,” says Reiff. “It’s only been 10 years, and we have more land in the Napa Green Certified Land program than is planted with winegrapes. Isn’t that cool?” Napa Agricultural Commissioner Dave Whitmer, who retires at the end of 2013 after 33 years (the last 20 as commissioner and sealer of weights and measures) fighting pests that threaten the grape crop, leaves office on a note of satisfaction. After 13 years of vigilance, the glassy-winged sharpshooter was never really allowed a foothold in the county. Whitmer credits the success of remaining free of the pest to the county’s cooperation with measures the Ag Commissioner has put in place, including regulation of ornamental nursery stock. But that’s only part of the good news. “Controlling the movement of the insect vector was really the sprint,” says Whitmer. “The marathon was finding a cure for Pierce’s disease, which is caused by the spread of bacteria carried by the glassy-winged sharpshooter, blue-green sharpshooter and other [related insects].” Pierce’s disease is devastating to vineyards and, so far, incurable, but there’s progress on that front, says Whitmer. “We’re probably only several years away from the nurseries being able to reproduce and sell commercially some grapevine plant material that will hold some resistance to Pierce’s disease-and that’s amazing. If we could find a cure for Pierce’s disease, we wouldn’t care as much about the glassy-winged sharpshooter or other vectors.” The most recent problem, following the protests over the proposed 2009 light brown apple moth program (citizens across the state decried the lack of environmental studies in advance of widespread aerial spraying), was the European grapevine moth, which fed not on leaves, but on the flower and fruit itself, often leaving behind deadly fungi and bacteria on the clusters. (It’s the infamous insect seen throughout the county on “Kick the Moth Out!” billboards.) The Ag Commission trapped more than 100,000 European grapevine moths in 2009, in virtually every part of Napa County. By 2013, after containment measures had been put in place, it trapped only 40 moths in several remote areas. Clearly, the program worked. What was the magic? “I tried to learn lessons from the light brown apple moth days,” Whitmer says, referring to the passionate protests against and distrust of the proposed containment measures, “to reach out to the community, lay out what I thought the options were and gain some understanding from them as to what direction the whole community thought was the right way to go. And then we incorporated those recommendations as best we could into our program. I think it worked out well to include everybody, and it’s helped us implement a program without opposition.”

Visit Napa Valley
The economic slump of 2009 took its toll on the tourist industry, with lodging revenue down by 20 percent. But every year since then, according to Visit Napa Valley’s CEO Gregory, the industry has rebounded in double digits. “August is always a big month for us,” he says, “and this year was just phenomenal.” According to Gregory, the total revenue was up by 14.9 percent over last year, and the overall year-to-date tally was up by 13.2 percent. “It’s amazing how well things are going.”
He credits this increase not to additional rooms or new hotels but rather to existing hotels that have been able to raise their rates and still build occupancy, “which is the best of all worlds!” One of his organization’s key ongoing promotion efforts is to encourage corporations and appropriate associations to come to Napa Valley for retreats and conferences, and enjoy the amenities-golf, hiking, biking, balloon rides, wineries and restaurants- while they’re here. He says that, as overnight weekday visitors, groups are good business. Plus, they’re easier on the local traffic and great for local restaurants.
He’s also quick to point out that not many people realize the entire West Coast has only two three-star Michelin-rated restaurants and both are in Napa Valley: The French Laundry (Yountville) and the Restaurant at Meadowood (St. Helena). “In our tiny little valley! It’s incredible,” he says. There are no two-star restaurants here, but the 2014 Michelin Guide lists five one-star restaurants in Napa Valley
The entire West Coast has only two three-star Michelin- rated restaurants- and both are in Napa Valley.
Auberge du Soleil (Rutherford), Bouchon (Yountville), La Toque (Napa), Solbar (Calistoga) and Terra (St Helena), and there are five Bib Gourmand restaurants, defined as “inspectors’ favorites for good value”: Bistro Jeanty (Yountville), C Casa (Napa), Oenotri (Napa), Cook (St. Helena) and Redd Wood (Yountville). “This is the most stars per capita of any wine region in the world,” says Gregory, laughing. “And 20 years ago, Michelin didn’t even know the United States had restaurants!”
The Visit Napa Valley’s public relations effort, which includes all Napa County areas under the Napa Valley brand name- including Lake Berryessa (the tourist identity of which, he says, is “a work in progress”)- includes a firm based in New York as well as a local PR agency, and the brand seems to have settled down. What was once the “Conference and Visitors Bureau (CVB)” and then the “Destination Council” as of last year, is now officially “Visit Napa Valley,” which gets right down to business. “Both Alice Marshall Public Relations [New York] and Fuller & Sander [Napa] have just been rocking it,” says Gregory. This year, Napa Valley enjoyed the excitement of being the official wine region of the 34th America’s Cup. So everyone coming to watch the race from the vantage point of America’s Cup Park in San Francisco could stop in the Napa Valley Wine Lounge (where only Napa Valley wine was served). The America’s Cup website gives all partners a separate page, and the Napa Valley page is dazzling, with video and links to Visit Napa Valley and NVV.
Destination marketing is a fast-moving science, with ever-increasing flexibility provided by smartphone apps. Gregory has been has been working to make it absolutely easy to do things like book a hotel or restaurant. “We did our first app three years ago and, at the time, it was kind of pioneering,” he says. But a new app should come out by the time this article goes to press. “It will still be called Visit Napa Valley, and it will be aesthetically better and more easy to use than the app we had before,” he says. He sees mobile apps as the way of the future for easy access to information and making connections.

City of Napa
Gregory isn’t alone in looking forward to the activity and excitement that several approved developments will bring to the city of Napa. Todd Zapolski’s Shops at Napa Town Center will bring attractive retail, dining and lodging to downtown, which will enhance the daytime experience of visitors and locals alike. The development of several new hotels, including the St. Regis in Napa and a couple in St. Helena and Calistoga, will attract the desirable overnight visitors. And he says he has hopes the former Copia will be developed in a way that will add to the livability and draw of downtown. “There are at least two different efforts moving along to turn Copia into something sustainable, with an eye toward the original Robert and Margrit Mondavi vision of it being a center for wine, food and the arts.”
Just up river from the former Copia, the Oxbow Public Market has become a thriving, year-round marketplace for wine, food, browsing and gathering, dining and occasional music or film viewing. Specialty artisan purveyors offer meats, seafood, teas, oils, wine, cheese, organic produce, baked goods, coffee and more,
and founder and CEO Steve Carlin credits its success to a harmonious partnership between the proprietor, tenants and community. “We know why people come here,” he says. “You can’t find a more beautiful place to live or visit, and I think the Oxbow is a
microcosm of all the good things Napa Valley is and wants to be.”

Don’t forget the arts
“The best thing to have come along in the last 12 to 18 months,” says Olivia Everett, CEO of Arts Council Napa Valley. “is the support we’re experiencing as the result of wineries and the hospitality industry incorporating art into their business strategies.” She says some of the more cutting-edge vintners understand that now,
with more than 500 wineries and hundreds of tasting rooms, the idea of diversifying the visitor experience with specialized tours and vacations plays nicely into what the culture of Napa Valley is about. “The shared strategy between Visit Napa Valley and the Arts Council is to promote wine, food and the arts as a single concept. We’re really excited about that.”
An example of how this works is the partnership between City Winery, a live music, culinary and wine-oriented experience with venues in New York and Chicago and Napa, which is creating a partnership with Napa Valley Opera House. The new, combined venue is due to open in 2014. City Winery will be given a long- term lease, which will let the Opera House nonprofit scale back its administration but still keep 75 performances per year for community programming.
City Winery will maintain the historic building, devoting the downstairs to a full restaurant and restoring the performance floor of the auditorium back to its original, cabaret-style seating, so people can see shows while dining. Everett says this partnership can be a model for the future regarding how to combine community programming and sustainable revenue for profit. “We have a tremendous amount of talent, creativity and ideas here in the valley,” she says, “I’m excited to see more sustainable growth in the arts, and I hope people watch out for it.”
As the city of Napa’s image as a sleepy, small town gradually dissolved into the awakening hipness of the current downtown scene, the idea of a headline-grabbing, ear-drum blasting rock festival in the summer of 2013 created a combination of anticipation and dread, usually circling around the question: “Can Napa handle all this excitement?”
The answer seemed to be even with the inevitable, “first- festival” kinks (crowd management problems, traffic problems, scheduling, pricing and occasional sanitation problems)-a reserved Yes. But, after the boom of the amps died down, BottleRock producers delivered a shock: $2.5 million in unpaid bills. Will the organizers ever pay the city, unions, numerous vendors and workers who made the festival rock? Will the many worthy Napa nonprofits, promised $1 million in donations, ever see checks?
At this writing, no payments are on the horizon. Yet ticket sales for 2014 were announced on the BottleRock website shortly after the first one ended.

Getting from here to there
“A lot of things are going well in Napa County right now,” says Supervisor Bill Dodd. “Our economy has come back and our agritourism business is up. With that comes transportation challenges. We have 29,000 people in our workforce who are commuting from the south every day to work in Napa. Those drivers merge with tourists and others, and the congestion down in South County is very evident. Our transportation corridors are pretty well stacked up right now. We need to be working with Metropolitan Transportation Commission [MTC] and the state to determine solutions.”
In an effort to get a handle on the valley’s traffic patterns, the Napa County Transportation and Planning Agency (NCTPA) is conducting a travel behavior study that tracks car movements via cell phone GPS data. “We’re looking at cell phone data to see where the traffic is coming in and where it’s going out,” says NCTPA Executive Director Kate Miller. “We’re sending license surveys out The Napa Valley Vine Trail Coalition, with 40 board members and more than 80 volunteers, has worked for the last five years to create a safe trail for bikers and walkers from Napa all the way”Our economy has come back and our agritourism business is up.” To both the people who live here and who’ve visited here, so we understand why they came, when they arrived, how long they stayed and what they did when they were here, so we get a better feeling for how we might design our transportation system around that.”
This kind of tracking has drawn fire from people concerned about privacy, but Miller says measures have been put into effect to safeguard confidentiality. “We understand privacy is a critical right,” she says, “and we don’t want to violate that. At the same time, we need this information to really understand how we’re going to deploy transportation resources.
NCTPA is also looking for ways to encourage system users to change travel behavior, and reduce the congestion by reducing the number of cars. “We’re looking into things like car and bike sharing. We have several routes that connect people to BART, Amtrak and the Vallejo ferry on weekdays; that infrastructure already exists. We’re going to want to give some thought to what we can do on the weekends to accommodate visitors. That’s another thing we’ll look at as part of the countywide plan.”
-Napa County Supervisor Bill Dodd north to Calistoga. Supported by NVV, NVGG and Napa Land Trust and led by the tech-visionary-turned-vintner Chuck McMinn, the Vine Trail plans to create 14 continuous miles of trails for walking and biking from Napa to Yountville in 2014.

Groundwater issues
People in Napa Valley are never far from discussions about water. “In the area just east of Napa, we’re taking more water out of the ground for vineyards, golf courses and other uses than we’re making up with rain water, and the area is experiencing groundwater depletion,” says Supervisor Dodd.
In an innovative solution to a difficult problem, the Milliken- Sarco-Tulocay Recycled Water Project will bring reclaimed water from the Napa Sanitation District out to that area to serve primarily large vineyard operations and Napa Valley Country Club. The project was hotly contested, but after several years of discussion, in 2012, community members finally agreed to form the Community Facilities District (CFD) to finance the pipeline. “We’ll start seeing construction sometime in 2014,” says Dodd, with satisfaction. “It’s always very easy to kill projects because of naysayers. But Supervisor Keith Caldwell has been a driving force behind this. He’s done a great job building consensus and getting us where we are today. He’s done an incredible amount of work.”
Caldwell says the county hopes to be laying that pipe in the summer of 2014. “We’ve received all our federal share for
that project, and we’re going forward.” The project will use recycled water in place of the 200 acre-feet of groundwater that Napa Valley Country Club pumps annually for irrigation. The entire recycled water project will provide up to 700 acre feet of recycled water annually. “This will take the largest ‘straws’ out and will allow for an eventual, natural recharge.”
Over and over, when Napans talk about achieving something by reaching consensus, they refer to the work that was done to bring the community together on the Napa River flood plan in 1997. That model of consensus is alive today. “Three supervisors are still serving today who were on the board when community, business and political leaders got together to create our flood control project,” says Caldwell. “They not only left a lasting gift of a great flood plan but also gave us a great example of how to create consensus. You don’t just go in, throw something down on the table and say, ‘This is what we’re going to do.” You have to get buy-in from all sectors of the community.”
Like the flood project, the Milliken-Sarco-Tulocay Recycled Water Project is a model of innovation and collaboration. “We banded together with our two adjoining counties, Marin and Sonoma, to get this done,” says Caldwell. “I’ve been to Washington, D.C., at least six times advocating for this project, and it’s being used as a model for how Washington, D.C., and the Bureau of Reclamation, our sponsor in this program, want to see business done.”
The project shows the county’s ability to come together as a community to address a problem of a depleted water table by creating a supply that conserve! “I’m from American Canyon,” says Caldwell, referring to the area in Napa County with the greatest population growth since the late 1980s, “and I think people should know how fragile the balance is that we have in this county between agriculture and urban sprawl. That balance is under attack almost on a daily basis. I think the current board- and previous boards-have resisted the temptation to just approve development or change zoning. Instead, we’ve fought the hard fight, and I think it’s really paid off.”

Development changes
Larry Florin, director of housing and intergovernmental affairs for Napa County, says the long-disputed Napa Pipe development is on its way to resolution to provide affordable, multi-family housing to satisfy the requirements of the state. “We’ve turned the corner in terms of working cooperatively among the county’s separate jurisdictions and with the developer to approve and, hopefully, get a project built that all of us can be happy with and proud of,” says Florin. “We hope the days of adversarial confrontations about this project are over.”
In November, the board of supervisors signed an approval for a term sheet between the county and Napa Redevelopment Partners, which advances the project a step closer. They’re working on a development agreement and design plans, and hope to get the project approved in early 2014.
Supervisor Diane Dillon notes the county’s proposed plan to move the jail, now in downtown Napa, to an area on the outskirts of town as a positive development. “The current jail was built before we realized the extent to which substance abuse issues would contribute to criminal activity and, of course, well before the state implemented “Realignment” to keep more offenders in local jails rather than in state prisons.
“We believe we can run [the new jail] in a more progressive and cost-effective way,” she says. “We’ve implemented a very
progressive, evidence-based system for managing prisoners and trying to give them opportunities to better themselves, so we can get a grasp on the recidivism rate.”
The board is currently looking for the land and the funds to make the change happen.
Dillon also is watching for a potentially devastating blow to the Ag Preserve and the character of Napa Valley. Her concern is that, under the current federal, legal and regulatory scheme, it’s possible that a Native American group could get Bureau of Indian recognition as a tribe and have land taken into trust, which would then become a sovereign “nation” (and therefore not subject to the local land use requirements by which every other property owner in Napa County abides). According to Dillon, this is a stated desire of at least one group of Native Americans that’s currently litigating with the federal government.
“We have a very delicate watershed here,” she says. “We’ve been blessed, because of our soil and climate, to be able to produce high- quality agriculture, and we’ve been able to preserve our land for that purpose. Everybody in Napa County has to comply with Measure P which requires [until 2048] a citizen vote to make zoning changes on agricultural and watershed lands-and that’s really all we’re asking here,” says Dillon, “and that’s really all we’re asking here.”

Health for all
The county of Napa completed a health needs assessment in 2013 and is now developing a community health improvement plan based on its findings. “We tried to not just look at numbers of diseases,” says Dr. Karen Smith, Napa County health officer and public health division director, “but really to look at the community as a whole, from the perspective of assets and also challenges.” One major asset in Napa County, which may not be expected on an assessment about health, is the ability of the community to develop partnerships and foster collaboration among diverse stakeholders. “This is a big strength in Napa,” Smith says. Another is people’s sense of living in clean, safe neighborhoods.
The challenges, she says, cluster around the divide between high and low income, and between the Hispanic and non-Hispanic population. “So, for example, 15 percent of Napa County residents rate their health as fair or poor, as opposed to excellent or good,” she says. “But if you look at Hispanic and low-income residents, the percentage rating their health as less than excellent or good will be much higher.” Educational and economic challenges, limited mental health services and alcohol and drug abuse, particularly among the youth, all contribute to the disparities in health outcomes. “Some numbers in there are staggering,” she says. Finally, overweight and obesity is another major challenge. Education can be a plus, along with income and culture. “We know that people who graduate from high school have overall better health status as adults.”
The four priority areas of the Health Improvement Plan are to
UIVIDIUIT UN BULAR
improve wellness and healthy lifestyles; create and sustain partnerships for collective impact; ensure access to high quality health care and social supports across the life course; and to address the social determinates of health, such as income, poverty, housing and educational attainment. To achieve these goals, the Live Healthy Napa County collaborative will continue to find new ways to strengthen existing and create new
partnerships, including with the community, for even greater “collective impact.” Smith says, so far, about 30 organizations have formed “a pretty robust collaborative” that encompasses all aspects of the county and includes health providers from hospitals, governmental agencies, mental health providers as well as the nonprofit sector.
Because health is an integral factor in all aspects of the county’s functioning, the core group includes the Napa County Transportation and Planning Agency, the Office of Education, law enforcement, the business community and even the Farm Bureau. It includes the county, all six city governments, Napa Valley College, representatives of the faith community, a number of nonprofits that work on educational attainment and health, and Emergency Women’s Services, among many others. The core support team includes Queen of the Valley Community Outreach, St. Helena Hospital Community Outreach, Kaiser Community Outreach, the Health and Human Services Agency and the Napa Coalition of Nonprofits, which has been part of the core support team from the start. The huge task going forward is assuring access to high- quality health services and social support across the life course for everyone in Napa County.
“We’re lucky,” Smith says, “because Napa County has a strong culture of philanthropy, and we have some very prominent philanthropic organizations that have donated early on in this process.”
Among key supporters are groups working to further the educational interests of all children in Napa County, so all students in Napa County schools can be prepared for college, careers and lives that are, by the health assessment’s standards, conducive not only to economic success, but to health.
In Napa County, leaders in the public education system are grappling with the same challenges facing schools all over the country-and particularly in the Napa Valley Unified School District and are tackling the issue head-on in an innovative, transformative way.

New school model
“It’s a renaissance in education,” says Napa Valley Unified School District Superintendent Patrick Sweeney of the new model being practiced in classrooms throughout the county. “It’s amazing: Teachers are excited; they’re seeing the excitement in their students; and they’re all learning new things.”
Anyone walking into one of the transformed classrooms in the Napa Valley School District will see a new configuration-no teacher in front, no kids dozing in rows and they’ll feel the energy, whether in kindergarten, where children are helping each other learn language and math on iPads, or in middle school or high school where groups of students, armed with their laptops and devices, are learning from experience and working together to find answers, create solutions or present the results of their “real-world” research projects to an audience of teachers, peers and guests. The energy the visitor experiences is the buzz of Project Based Learning.
“We’re trying to make sure all students can master the new Common Core State Standards by being proficient in the four
‘C’s-critical thinking, communication, creativity and collaboration,” says Sweeney. Yes, one might wonder, but does it work? Last year, he points out, the College Work Readiness Assessment showed that students at Napa New Technology High School improved 207 percent more than comparison students in measures of deeper learning between freshman and senior years, a high predictor of college and career success.
The model for technology-enhanced, project-based learning was pioneered
and perfected over the last 16 years at Napa New Tech High and is now being successfully adopted all over the country. Lydia Dobyns, president of New Tech Network, which has carried the model to 134 New Tech schools in 23 states and Australia, says of its success, “I think it’s because we start with the very simple premise that, if you can engage the learner because what he or she is learning is relevant, connects to the world he or she lives in now and can be viewed as an authentic way to imagine a future, then anything is possible!”

Chuck McMinn, president of Napalearns, a nonprofit educational foundation made up of key business leaders, educators, ex-CEOs and high-tech entrepreneurs who come together to help local school districts transform to the New Tech model by providing funding, supplying technical expertise and subsidizing professional development for teachers, says that, while it’s possible to spend a great amount of money to provide fine education for a small number of students, what’s needed now, in Napa and across the country, is for all students to be prepared “for a future we can’t even identify!” He says there are jobs being created, but they require skills, education and the ability to collaborate, think creatively and solve problems. Why? Because the pace of change is increasing to the point where,”[the next generation] will be required to solve problems no one has ever solved before-and that requires more education.”
It also requires a whole transformation of the way learning takes place, and McMinn believes Napa County has the talent, resources and the will to make it happen. Not only does Napa County boast three higher-education institutions: the four-year Pacific Union College in Angwin, Napa Community College and Touro University in nearby Vallejo, but the Napa community has, as an established as part of its culture, the ability to work together to achieve creative solutions to challenges and a recognition that what’s worthwhile
requires investment. The latter is a sentiment McMinn repeats loudly and often when he talks about education: It needs to be seen as an investment, not a cost. He’s optimistic for the future and says Napa has what it takes to make this transformation happen: “Our unique ability to achieve this change is because we have a strong sense of community, and we’re small enough that we can focus on this and work together to help create the solution.”

Napa: A place and an idea
Many aspects of the Napa story are missing from this survey. The dedicated work of so many nonprofits, such as The Pathway Home, which helps veterans recognize and recover from PTSD, the many sustainability groups working to keep Napa healthy and green, not to mention the all stories of people who make a difference on a daily basis to make Napa County what it is. But all would probably echo the same sentiments: That it’s community, collaboration and everyone bearing their share that makes and keeps this a great county. As community leader Dorothy Salmon, who has, since the Flood Plan days, succeeded in bringing people together over seemingly impossible issues, says, “Napa typifies possibility thinking in spades. We ask, ‘Why not?’ instead of ‘Why?'”

Andy Beckstoffer is Napa’s pioneering grape grower. He has been managing vineyards in Napa Valley since the 1970s and has been one of the significant figures to who have overseen Napa’s rise from a sleepy farming community to a world class winemaking region. A leader in promoting sustainable winemaking through innovations such as drip irrigation, vine spacing, bench graft production, vineyard technology and fanning management that have significantly improved wine grape quality, he has also been a mediator in working through labor issues with farm workers, maintaining the community’s cohesiveness in the face of growth and development. Today, Beckstoffer Vineyards owns and farms over 3,600 acres in three Northern California winegrowing regions – the Napa Valley, Mendocino County and the Red Hills of Lake County and his holdings include two of the Napa’s most famous vineyards: To Kalon and George III. In 2010, Andy became the first grape grower to be elected to the Culinary Institute of America’s Vintners Hall of Fame. Grape Collective recently caught up with the forward-thinking farmer to talk Cesar Chavez, picking out the best locations and land, and why Beckstoffer never felt compelled to make any wine himself.

Christopher Barnes: How did you get involved in the wine business and how you ended up in Napa Valley?

Andy Beckstoffer: When I got out of graduate school, I went to work for a corporation in the east, and I got the job in 1968 of analyzing the premium California table wine business, and in those days, the only two premium wines were Almaden and Paul Masson. We did a big study, one of the things we looked at was how do you be successful here? And one of the things you had to do to be successful was you had to get the right grapes, and so I never forgot that. That was really important. Then, the company we bought was Italian Swiss Colony which was owned by the farmers of San Joaquin, mainly San Joaquin, and so I spent a lot with the farmers. I began to like the farmers, and I began to like the people. One of the things I noticed about everybody here was everybody had a passion for the grape. They had a passion for the business and I liked that. I liked the land. I certainly liked the business, but I liked the people most of all.

The corporation decided to invest and so I got the job of going around the country trying to entice people to invest in vineyards and a lot of people said “Yes, but who’s going to farm it?” and so we tried to set up a farming company, and we could find people who would farm 30 acres the old way, but nobody would farm a hundred acres the new way, and we wanted to introduce technology. Secondly, about right that time we were hit, or the corporation was hit by the boycott of their liquor products by Cesar Chavez and United Farm Workers. So I was asked to set up a farming company, and I did. That’s how I came to Napa.

You were involved with settling that dispute with Cesar Chavez?

Yes I was. It was a very difficult thing to do, but… I had a situation with Cesar that we trusted each other. He never lied to me. I never lied to him. It was a situation here where most people thought that the workers were union people, and I always thought that they were our people who are represented by a union. They chose that. They wanted us to force all the people who had sold us the winery, all the growers in the San Joaquin into the union, and we had a contract with the growers who said we couldn ‘t do that. There was a meeting at my house where I said unbeknownst to Hueblein, or anybody else that 1 was going to show them the contract. The general counsel, Jerry Cohen showed up and surprise to me, Dolores Huerta showed up at my house, and I remember in those days she was really persona non grata, but we got it settled and we just took it in hand to settle it. It settled two weeks later when they finally found out that we simply could not do what I had been telling them they couldn’t do.

You have a tremendous amount of acreage in Napa Valley right now. Tell us a little bit about how you built it up over time.

We were a farming company. We started out farming for other people, and in the early 1970s we were farming 10 to 12 percent of the Napa Valley, but as a farming company. We knew the land from all over the valley, and every time we got a couple nickels, we bought another piece of land and people would lend us the money. Then, as the values grew, we would borrow more money on that property. I worked with Andre Tchelistcheff, and so we were very interested in Cabernet Sauvignon, so we went looking for the best Cabernet Sauvignon properties and when we found one, we bought it. Then by 1989 we had critical mass, enough that we could have our own farming company without having to farm for other people, so we stopped farming for other people at that point.

How did you pick your spots? How did you find the parcels that you ended up putting together?

We’ve been farming around everything and plus I had Andre who had been here forever and knew Cabernet Sauvignon and we wanted to grow Cabernet Sauvignon. The whole deal with Hueblein was that …We were trying to convince other people, other farmers to plant Cabernet. They said, “We just paid off the Bank of America, and you want me to stop growing something that I can get 8 tons per acre, to grow 3 tons per acre of Cabernet, and we get the same price, so we’re not going to do that, ” but we knew where the property was through our work farming and through what Andre had been buying forever. The thing about vineyards whether it’s To Kalon or George HI or whatever, the total equals more than the sum of the parts, so you have to see empirically what’s it done over a period of time, and they are the vineyards that have been the best wines… For example To-Kolan was planted in 1858, and in 1890 or whatever that was the best red grapes in the world, I mean, certainly in California, in Napa Valley. Well, it’s always been the best grapes. The 1940s grapes aren’t as good the 2010 grapes, but it’s always been the best. I could tell you about the soils and the climate and everything, but it’s the whole sum of that and that’s true I think of all grape vineyards, the total is more than the sum of the parts, so you want to find vineyards that have been planted and had been successful over a large period of time. We have six what we call Heritage Vineyards, all planted in the 19th century.

How many different wine makers do you work with right now?

We may work with 60 to 100.

That’s a lot of relationships to manage.

It is. It is. What we did early on, we developed something that’s called the “Bottle price formula”. In agriculture, the grower wants to overproduce and the buyer wants to underpay, and so we developed a system that rather than being paid on crop size …In agriculture, the big crops-low price, low crops-big price …We developed a system where we get paid based on the value of the retail bottle, a percentage of the final price to the consumer. What we are trying to do is that we’re trying to make better wine, and I think that has made better wine for us, but it put the grower and the vintner on the same page. Anything we can do to make that wine better, we’re willing to do. We cooperate with them greatly. We farm. We don’t tell them how to make wine. They don’t tell us how to farm, but we talk to each other all the time, but all that same basic interest that I’m doing what they want because of my interest, and they’re doing what I want because of their interest, so we get along very well.

You also have vineyards in Mendocino and Lake County. I mean tell us about the differences there.

When we bought the company, they had vineyards in Mendocino that I was forced to buy, and we grow Chardonnay there because that ground is very heavy. It’s not drained and so can’t really grow Cabernet there, but it makes an excellent, excellent Chardonnay. Let me just tell you as a farmer, when the wineries test out grapes, we taste block A, B, and C of Cabernet, but in Chardonnay, we taste oak treatment number 1, oak treatment number 2, and oak treatment number 3. As a farmer, all the value added is in the great wine. We went to Lake County and here farm at 100 feet above sea level. There we start farming at 2000 feet above sea level. Totally different, but the red hills has the perfect soil and it looks like a really unique climate for growing Cabernet Sauvignon. We’re super pleased with that. We’ve been therefor almost 15 years now, and we’re beginning to prove to the wineries and to the public that the quality of that fruit. I’m very, very excited about it. Cabernet Sauvignon from Lake County, is in my view, the most promising wine product in the new world of wine. That means the Australian wines and the New Zealand wines and everything else, Cabernet from Lake County is the most exciting thing.

Why you don’t make wine yourself?

The reason I don’t make wine myself is because I enjoy making grapes myself. I enjoy the land. I enjoy the people. I enjoy just being outside and doing. It’s a totally different business. Just because you can grow potatoes, doesn’t mean you can sell potato chips. I don’t do consumer marketing. I don’t travel. I don’t want to say it’s not something bad with winemaking. It’s something good about farming, and if I was in winemaking, I could never have accumulated the grapes that I have. You simply can’t, starting with nothing and doing it yourself, you simply can’t do that. Understand the business in Napa, that over 50 percent of the grapes that are grown in Napa are grown by people who don’t make wine. Both businesses, grape growing and winemaking are so capital intensive, most people couldn’t do both, so some of us decided to go one way, and some of us decided to go other way, but it’s all about your attitude and the kind of life you want to live.

Beckstoffer Vineyards’ roots run deep in the soil ot northern California’s wine country, as well as in the evolution of a centuries-old industry. In the heart of the world-renowned Napa Valley with some of the most historic property in the region, Bcckstoffcr Vineyards has played an integral role in Kind conservation, labor practices, technology, grape and wine quality, as well as overall agricultural sensitivity since the early 1970s when Andy Beckstoffer, now CEO, established the grape-growing operation.

After earning his MBA from Dartmouth in 1966, Andy began \vorking for Hcublein Inc. (Heublein), the parent company ot the popular Smirnoff Vodka brand. “1 started out in the business of mergers and acquisitions,” Andy recalls. “1 did the analysis before Heublein decided to pursue candidates.” Andy’s knowledge and experience played a critical role in advising the liquor giant to enter the super-premium wine segment of the California wine industry, including the purchase of Beaulieu Vineyards and United Vintners, owners of Inglenook and Italian Swiss Colony wines. New Roots and a New Opportunity “After we had purchased Inglenook and Beaulieu Vineyards, it turned out that we didn’t have enough grapes to satisfy’ the demand,” recounts Andy. Therefore, in 1970, Andy uprooted from Virginia. Andy moved his family to California where he established the Vinifera Development Corporation for Heublein with the purpose of acquiring the required fruit: hedirected all aspects of the vineyard farming as the company’s president. “We developed the economics of premium vineyards and I started asking it they wanted to invest,” reveals Andy. “Several said yes’, but wanted no part of the actual farming. We had to establish a custom farming company to operate their vineyards. By 1972!, we were farming more than 10 percent of the Napa Valley. I quickly found that 1 liked farmers better than salesmen.” When Heublein no longer desired the farming operation in 1973, Andy saw an opportunity. “I saw my chance to be an entrepreneur and do my thing with the business I had established,” he recalls. “We bought the company and renamed it Beckstoffer Vineyards. We slowly acquired more and more vineyard development business and every time we got a couple ot nickels we bought another vineyard. From the very beginning we valued our people most of all. We provided our farmworkers with medical benefits and treated them with respect as skilled workers who were an important part of our team.” Andy has been an industry advocate since, as a founding director and the second president of the Napa Valley Grape Growers Association (NVG). He forged an early, historic agreement on grape pricing, which tied the price of grapes to retail bottle sales. The agreement began a new era in which grape quality and land preservation was brought to the forefront of the wine business. The NVG continues to thrive in its mission, promoting Napa Valley’s world-class vineyards. In 1989 Andy led the NVG in establishing the Vinery Definition Ordinance, which requires 75 percent of grapes used in the region to come from the appellation. Following the movement, in 1994, as founder and president of the Rutherford Dust Society, Andy encouraged and promoted the highest quality standards in grape growing and winemaking in the Rutherford, Napa Valley, California viticulture area.

After nearly a decade in the corporate construction world, Andv’s eldest son, David Bcckstoffer, joined the family-run operation in 1997. David quickly learned that the intrii.ai.ies of running a labor-intensive viticulture operation are often no less challenging than the complexities of large-scale construction projects. Like his father, David also plays an active role in the industry and community affairs. He is a former director of the Napa Counn- Farm Bureau and a former trustee of the Blue Oak School in Napa. From 2010 to 2012, David was president of the NVCi, supporting the organization’s mission to preserve and promote the areas world-class vineyards.

Pioneering Natural Resource Gold

As industry supporters through-and-through, Andy and David wasted no time growing their own operation. Beckstoffer Vineyards is now northern California’s largest single-familyowned and -operated vineyard. I he company now owns and farms more than 3,600 acres of high quality grape growing property in three northern California winegrowing regions, including the Napa Valley, Mendocino County and the Red Hills of Lake Countv.

“Were not winemakers,” Andy says, “We grow grapes. Beckstoffer Vineyards has 1 1 vineyards across rour cities in the Napa Valley, three in Red Hills and five more in Mendocino County. We have about 130 full-time employees throughout all locations.” The company has prospered through a mixture of tradition and innovative growing. Since 1970, Beckstotrer Vineyards has pioneered drip irrigation, vine spacing, bench graft production, vineyard technology and farming management that have significantly improved grape quality. “Were committed to sustainable farming across our operations,” ensures Andy. “We have new technologies to monitor and analy/e vine health and productivity, manage water use and improve vineyard efficiency. Beckstoffer Vineyard’s cabernet sauvignon grapes are the foundation for some of the Valley’s most exceptional wines. The grower’s six heritage vineyards tell a story that’s grounded in history even amid some of the best wine country in the world. “F.ach vinevard is different, producing fruit of varied personality and character for wines tha t are exceptional and each in their own way distinctive. More than 50 fine wines are vineyard-designated as originating entirely from Beckstoffer Vineyards’ heritage properties, honoring those vineyards that have consistently produced fine wine for generations, and in some cases, centuries.” -Beckstoffer Vineyards’ website reads. “We own six heritage vineyards which were first planted in the 19th century, but our most unique property is in Red Hills, which we acquired in 1998,” adds Andy. “Farmers began growing grapes in Red Hills in the 1870s, but over time, it fell to the wayside. We re bringing it back.” Located at 2,000 feet above sea level, while Napa Valley is just hundreds of feet above. Red Hills is able to offe r an extraordinary growing environment tor Malbec, Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc. 1 Jowever, the real gem is Cabernet grapes, due to the deep, rich volcanic soil. “Red Hills is a completely different microclimate in comparison to our other vineyards,” explains Andy. “The hillside vineyard looks like a scene from Tuscany. We selected the area over a long period of time because as farmers, we knew where the good land was.”

Super-premium Quality

With some of the region’s best natural resources at hand. Beckstoffer Vineyards is capable ot selling to ultra-highend customers. “Wine from our grapes sell nationally and internationally,” reveals Andy. “With the amount of vintage we produce we sell to top companies such as Kendall Jackson and Clos Du Bois, but we also supply highly exclusive, smaller wineries that sell bottles at Si 50 to $350.” Andy says managing this supply chain is of the utmost importance to Beckstoffer Vineyards operation. “Especially in the premium end, it’s very important,” he notes. “From our truckers to nursery hardware suppliers and farm hands, we have developed close relationships with all people up and down the chain. 1 his business is really about people, and that includes the farmworkers.” Andy, who still lives in the Napa Valley with wife Betty of 50 years, has been recognized for his commitment to people and the community. In 2000, Andy and Betty were named Citi/ens of the Year for their dedication and active participation in the area. Following that recognition, and also in 2010, Andy was elected into the Culinary Institut e of America’s Vintners \l of Fame as the first grower to be honored with the prestigious wine industry award. At the hands of Andy and David, Beckstoffer Vineyards continues to grow sustainably, pioneering farming practices and new territory with the only 2,000 feet above sea level operation in the state. The companys commitment to excellence, innovation and people sets a standard for the industry as a whole. Beckstoffer Vineyards continues to set the bar high, backed by Andy’s vision of building a strong futur e for the industry and community in which the Beckstoffer family has established deep roots.

Andy Beckstoffer is one of Northern California’s leading grapegrowers, and one of the region’s most prolific. As one of the 20 largest grape growers in California, he owns a total of 3,600 vineyard acres in Napa Valley, Mendocino County and Lake County.

Beckstoffer began his wine career in the ’60s as a business analyst for Heublein Inc. He eventually became president of the Vinifera Development Co., a subsidiary he helped create, and in 1973 he purchased it from Heu- blein. That company evolved into BeckstofferVineyards.

Beckstoffer became known as a leader in developing and implementing new vineyard technologies in the North Coast, pioneering drip irrigation, closer vine spacing, over- head frost protection, new trellis systems and bench graft production.

“The key to Andy’s success is the quality of the grapes he delivers to his clients, the vintners and winemakers,” said Frederick H. Schrader of Napa Valley’s Schrader Cel- lars. “The Beckstoffer team is second to none in dialing in their vineyards and delivering the highest quality grapes year after year. In my opinion he’s the finest farmer in America when it comes to vineyards.”

As an advocate for Napa Valley growers, Becksoffer has inspired both admiration and controversy. In 1976, as president of the Napa Val- ley Grapegrowers (NVG), Beckstoffer was instrumen- tal in increasing the federal requirement for varieta! and appellation content from 51% to 75%. The change was applauded by local growers and consumers, but resented by some vintners. Through NVG he created the “bottle price formula” that directly ties the price of grapes to the price of a bottle of wine. He also helped develop the Napa County Winery Definition Ordinance, which mandated that 75% of grapes in Napa- appellated wine come from the NapaValley.

Today Beckstoffer is focused on agricultural pres- ervation in Napa County. He’s a board member of The Land Trust of Napa County, which works to permanently pre- serve agricultural land from development, and has con- tributed more than 400 acres of easements to the trust, with plans for hundreds more in the works.

“Andy has been a tireless advocate for the protection of agriculture and the advance- ment of quality viticultural practices for over 40 years,” said former NVG president Bruce Phillips, whose family owns Vine Hill Ranch in Napa Valley. “His continuing efforts have helped to solidify the Napa Valley as the preemi- nent winegrowing appella- tion in the United States, and have in no small part helped position it among the finest grapegrowing regions of the world.”

Near the end of the Civil War, the U.S. government gave away 160 acres of land to anyone willing to help settle the West. Vineyard owner Andy Beckstoffer has his own version of that Homestead Act: He has offered famous winemakers and vintners a free trip by helicopter to California’s Lake County to check out his vineyards— along with “favorable terms” for the purchase of grapes.

Mr. Beckstoffer is one of the largest—not to mention most enterprising—vineyard developers in the county. He owns about 1,000 acres in Lake County and about the same amount of land in Mendocino and Napa counties. But right now Mr. Beckstoffer is particularly focused on Lake County, which he believes has the potential to produce some very good, very reasonably priced Cabernet. And he’s not alone; almost two months ago, the Gallo family made a very big commitment to the county with the purchase of the 2,000-acre Snows Lake Vineyard, whose 800 acres of vineyards are primarily planted to Cabernet Sauvignon. According to Gallo has made n at least 10 years, in terms of both money and size.

In its pre-Prohibition heyday, there were close to 3,000 acres of vineyards in Lake County, and its lakefront resorts attracted top Hollywood acts. But over the years the vineyards were almost entirely ripped out and replaced by more-profitable walnuts and pears (and the top acts all migrated to Lake Tahoe). By the 1080s, the walnut and pear markets had dried up as well, and Lake County’s economy —and profile—declined even more. But the past 10 years have been a time of resurgence and regrowth. There are now more than 8,000 acres of vineyards in Lake County and a few dozen wineries as well. (A few decades ago there were just four.) Five subappellations were drawn up, most notably Red Hills, Clear Lake and High Valley. According to Mr. Beckstoffer, these subdistriets were created by growers as much to recognize their distinctive geography as to distance themselves from the less- than-illustrious Lake County name. “Lake County had a reputation for had wine in the 1990s,” said Mr. Beckstoffer, naming the decade he first ventured north from Napa.

One of the reasons that the wines were so bad was the grapes were planted in “all the wrong places,” according to Mr. Beckstoffer—an opinion I heard expressed several more times from several more growers during my visit last month. The grapes—particularly Cabernet—were planted down in the valleys instead of up in the hills, and the fruit didn’t ripen properly. Valley wines also lacked the intensity of wines made from hillside fruit. Not that most wine drinkers had an opportunity to distinguish the difference between the two as most Lake County grapes were added to blends of various grapes from various places, including Napa Valley. Mr. Beckstoffer and I had this conversation on the way to Steele Wines, one of the earliest wineries of modern Lake County, founded by Jed Steele in 1991. Mr. Steele was the much-heralded creator of Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay but left fame and fortune behind when he moved to Lake County and opened a decidedly low-key place of his own. The Steele winery is a world apart from his past corporate life, which is to say it’s quintessential Lake County: a low-slung building just off of the highway, across from a purveyor of farm equipment and pet food.

Although many growers, including Mr. Beckstoffer, believe that Cabernet Sauvignon will make Lake County respectable if not renowned, others, like Mr. Steele, seem to believe that the right grape for Lake County is…everything. Mr. Stecle turns out a veritable alphabet of wines—from Aligote to Zinfandel and just about every varietal in between. But not all of his fruit comes from Lake County—sometimes it’s from places as far away as Washington state.

Other winemakers have backed other varietals, most notably Sauvignon Blanc or, in the case of Gregory Graham, Viognier. In fact, Mr. Graham, a Lake County pioneer, told me he thought Viognier would “rule the world” in the late 1990s. Although his Viognier is very good, that never happened, and Mr. Graham makes many other wines as well—Cabernet, Grenache, Chardonnay and Syrah. Sonoma-based superstar winemaker David Ramey, who consults to Brassfield Winery, in Upper Lake, believes that aromatic white wines like Albarifo, Gewiirztraminer and Roussane are the right grapes for Lake County. And he’s quite keen on Malbee, too. That red varietal has a “tremendous future” in the county, said Mr. Ramey, though there are only 25 acres of Malbec in Lake County right now.

If the absolute best Lake County grapes have yet to be determined, they are, at least, still quite reasonably priced. For example, Mr. Beckstoffer charges at least $8,000 a ton for grapes from his top Napa Cabernet vineyard, while at his Red Hills outpost in Lake (which he farms exactly the same way), the cost is $2,500 a ton for Cabernet. The Lake County average is $1,800.

And yet only about a third of the winemakers buying Mr. Beckstoffer’s fruit are making Cabernets with a Red Hills label, he estimates. Most, like winemaker Dave Guffy of the Hess Collection in Napa, are using it in blends. (Mr, Guffy uses 45% Lake County fruit in his Hess Select red.) The same is true for other growers—Gregory Graham estimates that he sells 60% of his fruit to Napa Valley wineries who bottle it into a blend. (A wine may be labeled “Napa” as long as 85% of the fruit is from there.) Peter Molnar, chairman of the Lake County Wine Grape Commission, makes wine in Lake County as well as Napa and Sonoma and showcases Lake County with his wine, Obsidian Ridge. His 2009 is a wine he calls “a hillside Cabernet for the rest of us,” priced accordingly at $28 a bottle. Marked by dark fruit, currant and tobacco, it’s intense and impressive – one of the best Cabernets | tasted on my visiL. Like many of the producers 1 met during my visit, Mr. Molnar doesn’t live in the county, but several hours away in North Berkeley. Others commute from Sonoma and Napa. That’s another big challenge for Lake County – finding winemakers who actually want to live there. Even though an acre of land costs a fraction of what it does in Napa (about $10,000 plus the cost of developing a * vineyard), there hasn’t exactly been a stampede of would-be resident vintners. Maybe it’s just a matter of time – and a few more good wines in the market with Lake County on their labels. After all, it took not one but three Homestead Acts to get the West settled.

In 1895, Grover Cleveland was President; the first professional American football game was played in Latrobe, Pa.; the first shipment of canned pineapple left Hawaii; Albert Nobel established the Nobel Prize and Mrs. Thomas Rutherford harvested 100 tons of grapes from 60 acres of land that would eventually become Andy Beckstoffer’s Vineyard Georges III.

Part of the nearly 12,000- acre Rancho Caymus land grant that was gifted to George Yount by General Vallejo in 1836, Yount subsequently gave 1,040 acres to his granddaugh- ter when she married Thomas Rutherford in 1862. Eventual- ly, the land came to be owned by the San Francisco Archdio- cese of the Catholic Church, who, at the time, was one of the largest landholders in the Napa Valley.

With the advent of Prohibi- tion, the diocese began to divest itself of vineyard land in the Napa Valley. In 1923, a young Frenchman began to purchase land incrementally from them four separate purchases of contiguous land for a total of 198 acres.
His name was Georges deLatour.
The vineyard came to be known as Beaulieu Ranch #3 and would become the source of the Rutherford Cabernets of BV, crafted by the “Maestro” Andre Tchelistcheff. These wines would help secure Beaulieu’s reputation in the ’60s and ’70s as producers of the finest in Napa Valley wines.
In 1971, a young man named Andy Beckstoffer began farm- ing the land for BV. He became founding director of the Napa Valley Grapegrowers Associa- tion in 1975 and has gone on to become renowned for bringing modern science and progres- sive labor practices to viticul- ture. In 1976, he championed what was then a controversial move to use geographic and historical indicators to describe a wine’s appellation of origin.
In the Nov. 19, 1987 issue of the Napa Valley Register, an article titled “Shocking idea from Grapegrowers” detailed the uproar surrounding Beck- stoffer’s (then radical) proposal that all wine produced in Napa County contain at least 75 per- cent of Napa County grapes. Beckstoffer purchased the Beaulieu Ranch #3 in 1988 and renamed it Vineyard Georges III. Additional purchases of contiguous parcels brought the total acreage to 300. He has gone on to become a leading proponent of vineyard desig- nated wines and was founding director of the Rutherford Dust Society in 1994. Recently, the bulk of this property and the entirety of the Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard and the Beck- stoffer Missouri Hopper Vine- yard were placed under a land conservation easement that for- ever prohibits non-agricultural development.
Beckstoffer Vineyards has grown to control more than 3,600 acres of vineyards in Napa, Mendocino and Lake counties. He was inducted into the Culinary Institute of Amer- ica’s Vintner’s Hall of Fame in 2010, becoming the first grow- er to be so honored.
So it was with no small sense of history that I accepted an invitation to a comparative tasting of vineyard designated wines from Vineyard Georges III, graciously hosted by Moni- ca and David Stevens at 750 Wines in St. Helena. Producers of the wines tasted and a few fortunate members of the press were in attendance, along with Beckstoffer and David Stoneberg, wine editor of the St. Helena Star.
The event began with intro- ductions and a brief history of the property.
Andy Beckstoffer: “… So in the history of America, this property has only had four owners (George Yount, Thomas Rutherford and family, Georges deLatour & BV and. Beckstoffer) … I remember when we first bought the place Andre said ‘Diversify by clones of cabernet- don’t go planting merlot and franc and Mondeuse and all that other stuff. This is cabernet land. Plant clones of cabernet…. so today there are five clones of cabernet on the property… all are planted to 03916 rootstock.”
The assembled wines were poured in two flights of six wines: the first were all 2008 vintage; the second contained five 2009s and one barrel sample from 2010. They were tasted single blind and were ranked, but not scored.
The favorite from the first flight was the 2008 Myriad from owner/winemaker Mike Smith, while the favorite from the second flight was the 2009 Sojourn from proprietor Craig Haserot and winemaker Erich Bradley.
I must agree with several conclusions drawn by the assembled tasters: the vine- yard does not produce “blockbuster” wines; the fruit profile is often red with black fruit highlights and for some, a hint of “loamy’ influence. This taster found a common thread of elegance and balance in these wines, with the pedigree of this piece of land clearly expressed.
One cannot taste these wines without having a strong sense of the history of this special property. In a sense, we walked in the footsteps of the giants of Napa Valley wine history: George Yount, Thomas Rutherford, Georges deLatour and Andre Tchelistcheff. And there could be no finer steward of this, and his other Heritage Vineyards, than Andy Beckstoffer.
(Allan Bree is a wine journalist and pho- tographer based in Napa. For nearly a decade, he was a principal writer for the “Gang of Pour,” an award-winning website devoted to wine and food. He was also a contributing writer for “Swirl Wine News.” He can be reached at Batonnage@att.net.)

Alex Rorabaugh Center gymnasium on South State Street is getting its finishing touches so children can get down to the business of playing. Organizers plan to have the gym open to the public after a grand opening in February. “We’re from finishing a $9 million, 12-year project,” said Marvin Trotter, president of the board of directors that has orchestrated fundrais- ing and construction since the project began as an idea. The 10,000-square- foot gym, reaches a height of 50 feet at the apex of its vaulted’ ceiling, will be named the Beckstoffer Gymnasium: in honor of winegrape grower:Andy _Beckstofferj [Sn TE cent, $200,000 donation, which organizers said helped give the gym a much-needed push toward the finish line. “We’ve been in Mendocino = County for a long time and we try to give anytime we can. It’s a wonderful opportunity for us. We are always glad to help when it comes to edu- cation and children. Having the facility named after us shows that we care. It is some- thing our employees will take some pride in. It shows that the grape growers and wineries do their part, too. We will be there for grand open- ing,” Beckstoffer said on Tuesday. “It allowed us to go out to bid to’ com- plete the gymnasium,” Trotter said, referring to the third and final .. phase of construction, which began in June. “We were within reach ! of the finish,” The gym just had a self-leveling cement floor poured two weeks ago and will soon have layers of cross-cut wood installed over that. Next – comes what board executive director Richard Shoemaker says looks like a quarter-inch mat made -of- finely ground tires. On top of that there will be layer of firm rubber that will be overlaid with the finish, a multi-purpose sur- face that can be used not only for basketball and volleyball but for dances, everyday play, conventions and even indoor hockey. “The neat part is, the elementary school will use it on rainy days and really hot days, or smoky days and (with) this kind of floor … they don’t necessarily have” to be super, super care- ful with it,” Shoemaker said, contrasting the flooring with more typi- cal gymnasium flooring that requires users -to only wear certain types of shoes. ’ Mendocino College has already expressed a desire to hold women’s basketball tournaments at the gym, which will also be available for the Boys and Girls Club of Ukiah, housed at the center, during the day. Large storage rooms were built to store sports equipment and other necessities, giving the gym an added function- ality. It also features a stage that opens on the elementary school’s caf- eteria on one side, con- necting the two rooms when their respective rental gates are raised. Also being installed is an eight-foot tall, plastic cover around the bot- tom of the gym’s walls. The finishing touches mean the gym is almost ready for its doubtless- ly long list of events to come: college basket- ball tournaments, stu- dent dances, conven- tions and everyday use “as the Grace Hudson Elementary School gym, among others. “But it didn’t get there without a lot of help from the commu- nity, organizers note. Of the $9 million spent on the gym, $2 mil- lion came, from local donors, according to Trotter. The community’s contribution doesn’t include the money from what he called – a “unique collabora- tion” between the city of Ukiah, county of Mendocino and Ukiah Unified School District, that each contributed $1 million to the gym’s completion. Beckstoffer, whose name will grace the gymnasium, is a lead- er in the winegrape industry, according to Shoemaker, holding about 1,000 acres in each of three counties: Mendocino, Lake and Napa. Shoemaker said Beckstoffer and his wife decided to contribute to the ARC after they helped build a similar facility in St. Helena and were honored there as citizens of the year. The recreation cen- ter, which also includes the Boys and Girls Club of Ukiah, takes its name from Alex Rorabaugh, a Pennsylvania man who came to Mendocino County and picked pears in Hopland, then opened a saw mill with two Swedish men in Yorkville, according to Trotter. He made his fortune in the stock market, and, impressed at how much wood was in the gym’s shell about five years ago, before .its “interior – was…com- : plete, Rorabaugh gave: an, gight-faot tall plastics. #550, 000 to the project, , Trotter said. Thatdonationallowed organizers to get match- ing funds from private foundations, leveraging enough money to fin- ish the community cen- ter that houses the Boys and Girls Club, with money left over to work on the gym, according to Trotter. He said Rorabaugh opened, his saw mill before chain saws pre- vailed and instead used 12-foot manual saws to cut his lumber. “He was a hard- working man his whole life,” Trotter said. “He felt (the recreation cen- ter) was something that was really important for kids, to give them some- thing positive to do.” Bob and Suzie Hardie, longtime Mendocino County residents, felt the same. They’ve given nearly $40,000 to the project over the years. “We just felt that it. was something that would enrich our com- munity, the . children, Ukiah, this end of town — I can go on and on with all the good things. this is going to do,” Bob Hardie said.

The Napa Valley has been a little short on legends lately. Not legendary wines—there are still plenty of those—but legendary figures. It’s almost three years since the last legendary man, Robert Mondavi, passed away and much longer since he was the one man most synonymous with this great California wine region.

According to Napa grape grower Andy Beckstoffer, the time of legendary men may be over. “The vineyards are the next Robert Mondavi. The vineyards are what matters,” he said.

One could argue that this position was either born of great knowledge or was rather self-serving, since Mr. Beckstoffer owns 1,000 acres of vineyard land in Napa.

Unlike many growers, Mr. Beckstoffer only sells grapes to other wineries; he doesn’t make wine himself. “That’s an entirely different business,” he said. It simplifies matters and reduces expenses and also answers the inevitable question about growers who also make wine from their grapes: Don’t they keep the best fruit for themselves?

The Beckstoffer holdings (which also include a couple thousand more acres in Mendocino and Lake Counties) are not only notable for their size but their pedigree. They include some of the top Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards in the state.

Grapegrower Andy Beckstoffer and his family have bought part of the historic Bourn/Hayne Vineyard, which had been in the same family since 1874.

Beckstoffer declined to say how much they had paid for the 13.25 acres at Sulphur Springs and South Crane avenues in St. Helena. “We’d rather not focus on the dollar amount,” he told the Register, adding that the figure was in the “hundreds of thousands of dollars per acre. He said the amount he paid “was probably the second highest price for land that I’ve ever heard of in the Napa Valley.”
Beckstoffer said he knows of only one higher price paid for vineyard land the amount Francis Ford Coppola paid for the Inglenook property. Co-owner William Alston “Otty” Hayne, who has been vineyard manager since the mid-1980s, said before the sale that the 56- acre parcel also was owned by his brother, Elliott Hayne of Novato and their first cousins, Martha Tal- bott of McLean, Va. and Sarah Simpson of Hood. Elliott Hayne sold his parcel to Beckstoffer.
Otty Hayne said his brother “regretted” selling the land but did so “to take tent and had a water well dug, to prove there was water. “We’ve got two vineyards care of his grandchildren’s in that area and, of course, it education.” Beckstoffer said he began negotiating for the land in mid-summer and, as part of the negotiations, he had soil pits dug, exam- ined the soil’s gravel con- (the Bourn/Hayne Vine- yard) has a legendary repu- tation so we proved the rep- utation was real,” Beckstof- fer said. Of the 13.25-acres, nine are planted to petite sirah and three to cabernet sauvignon. Hayne said he helped his father replant the petite sirah vines in 1953 or 1954 and today the grapes are sold to Larry Turley. The crop from the cabernet sauvignon vines, planted in the 1990s, had been sold to the Joseph Phelps Winery until two years ago, Hayne said, but the grapes are now sold to Nickel & Nickel.

Hayne said he and his two cousins have “no intention of selling” their portions of the vineyard, which was bought by William Bowers Bourn, Hayne’s great-grandfa- ther, in 1874, Hayne said when he took over man- agement of the vineyard from his father in 1986 it included Napa Gamay grapes, which were sold to Louis P. Martini, and Green Hungarian, which were sold to Sebastiani. After both Martini and Sebas- tiani didn’t renew their contracts, Hayne pulled out both varieties and planted 14 acres of caber- net sauvignon.
The entire vineyard also includes century-old zin- fandel vines, and the grapes are used to produce wines for S.E. Chase Fami- ly Cellars.

‘One of the very best Beckstoffer said he con- siders the vineyard “leg- endary” in terms of pro- ducing cabernet sauvignon grapes.. “It is one of the very best cabernet pieces of ground in the Napa Val- ley and it has been that way for a zillion years,” he said. He calls it one of “maybe” five legendary spots for cabernet in the Napa Valley and is enthusiastic about buying the property. “These things never come up for sale; you know it’s been years since we’ve been able to find cabernet vineyards like this,” said Beckstoffer. “We’ve always said we don’t want to buy land in the Napa Valley, we want to buy the very best cabernet land and we’re willing to pay hopefully more than anybody else.” Beckstoffer worked for a farm management compa- ny in 1970 and then bought the company three years later. It was not until 1981 that the family-owned company was able to buy land and it started slowly. But when phylloxera hit in the early 1990s, the com- pany was able to acquire a lot of property, in great part, Beckstoffer said, because the wineries that owned the property didn’t want to pay to replant their vineyards.

From 1983 to 1997, the Beckstoffer family bought five of what Beckstoffer considers legendary Napa Valley vineyards: the Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard, 25 acres in St. Helena; the Beckstoffer Vine- yard Georges III, 300 acres in Rutherford; the 89-acre To Kalon Vineyard in Oakville; the Missouri Hopper vineyard, 45 acres in Oakville; the 25-acre Dr. Crane Vineyard in St. Helena. Reflecting on the current situation in the wine busi- ness and the difficulty sell- ing expensive wines during a recession, Beckstoffer said some people have no problem paying four to five times the county average for cabernet sauvignon grapes from these five vineyards because they’re putting the grapes in wines that sell for $100 to $200 a bottle. “They want more grapes to expand their business- es,” he said. “There are cases, whether it is Schraders or Paul Hobbs or others, who have earned the right over a number of years to charge that much for a bottle of wine.” There are others, how- ever, who didn’t earn that right but arbitrarily set a price at $120 a bottle, who are now struggling. “I think the established guys, Silver Oak and Har- lan for example, are doing very well,” Beckstoffer added. “We must sell to 15 guys like that and all I can tell you for sure is they want more grapes at those high prices.”

Today, the Napa Valley Grapegrowers begin a new monthly column exploring a variety of issues they confront in their mission to preserve and promote the valley’s vineyards. Kicking it off is David Beckstoffer, president of the Grapegrowers. More information about the group is available at napagrowers.org.

Ever think about how cool it would be to have vineyards in the Napa Val- ley? Maybe a little farm- house on a knoll overlook- ing a few acres of caber- net? You could don your wide-brimmed hat and Carhartt jacket and walk the vine rows with your yellow lab on a crisp fall morning, brushing dew off of the leaves, plucking a berry and samplingythe sweet nectar of what would become your next 100-point wine.

Well, the good news is that your love of wine (and beer and Scotch) may come in handy as you overcome the shock that growing grapes in the Napa Valley is really hard work. Those lush vine- ot that thie our hill- sides and blanket our valley floor don’t just | sprout up after a good storm. It takes a whole lot of planning and money and people to get those vineyards ready for the travel brochures and wine – magazines. And making them pretty is the easy part. Producing grapes that are up to Napa Valley standards takes a little more work.

We are blessed with some advantages here. ‘We’ve got some of the best soils and climate for growing wine grapes in the world. We’ve also got more than 150 years of history to draw from and some of the most talented, resourceful and knowl– edgeable owners, wine- makers, managers and workers that have ever muddied their boots. But in the end, this is farming. And no matter how wealthy, smart or marketable you are, your success ultimately depends on the weather.

Take this year for example. After a few dry years, we finally got some seri- ous rain storms last, win- ter, filling our reservoirs, lakes and streams. We were jazzed. Early spring came and the rain contin- ued. No problem, the clouds kept the frost away. Spring moved on and the rain kept coming. We were starting to get a little anxious because the ground was too soft for tractors and our vines were growing like weeds (and the weeds were growing like weeds, too). In late spring, the rains started to subside and we let out a collective sigh of relief. We got on our trac- tors, mowed our weeds, suckered our vines and laid our compost. We were ready to go. Or were we? The rain had stopped but tempera- tures remained cool. The combination of mild tem- peratures and moist air created ideal conditions for mildew. Seeing patch- es of fungus starting to grow on clusters, we, responded immediately. Spray rigs were dis- patched, and crews per- formed triage on our pre- cious berries, cutting off clusters that were too far gone and pulling leaves to allow air and light to pen- etrate the canopies. Then things started getting dicey. After weeks of cool weather, tempera- tures suddenly soared into § triple digits. With their protective layer of leaves diminished, the grapes were easy targets and sun- burn threatened to shrivel the mildew survivors.

It appeared that this was going to be a year of challenges, but we Napa Valley grapegrowers were prepared to respond. We rushed to turn on the water, reposition canes, lay shade cloth and do whatever else we could think of to protect the berries and cool every- thing down. Then, after found ourselves picking chardonnay, merlot, pinot noir and cabernet all at the same time. But vineyard managers were undaunted. In the midst of overseeing each day’s ‘pick, they were planning the next day, moving crews and trucks and tractors. and bins like chess pieces. It makes me wonder how we ever got through a harvest with- out cell pHones. four days of intense heat, the cool morning fog reemerged over the hill- sides and ‘we started sleeping again. Because of the cool season, we started har- vest about two weeks late. As temperatures climbed in September and October, ripening quickened and we picked up the pace. Rather than the usual progression from whites to reds, we We’te now in the ‘homestretch and the grapes that have survived the cold, the mildew, the sunburn, the European Grapevine Moth and the compacted schedule are arriving safely at the wineries. Despite this year’s challenges, we are delighted to see that the cool growing season has worked pure magic on the grapes. Slow, even ripening has produced berries with well devel- oped flavors and nicely balanced sugars and acids. Although the crop – ‘size is somewhat reduced, the quality of the grapes has raised our expectations for a great vintage. It’s still too early to pass final judgment on the 2010 vintage, but there is one thing for certain — it will be unique. That’s why this business is so special. Every vintage is differ- ent. No year is like the last, and from the time the first buds sprout from dormant vines, grapegrowers have to be prepared for anything. So before you buy that farmhouse on the knoll, make sure that the paint and plumbing are in good shape. It’ll be a while before you get around to it.

The dominant culture in the Golden State is one of “growers on the one hand and wineries on the other,” and many wineries buy in their grapes from third-party growers. Stephen Brook explores the complex relationships involved, and the implications in terms of terroir and value

The notion of an estate winery is not well entrenched in california. many wineries may own some vineyards, but they will also buy grapes, either from contracted growers or from the spot market. companies such as mondavi and Beringer have substantial vineyards statewide, but even they will supplement their own crop. napa Valley’s Heitz is a good example of a commonly encountered model. The family owns a cabernet vineyard called Trailside, but it also contracts to buy grapes from two celebrated sources: Bella oaks and martha’s Vineyard. Heitz as a whole farms 375 acres (150ha) in napa Valley, but it sells much of what it grows to other wineries. Thus, estate vineyards and outsourced grapes are juggled so that the winery ends up with the mix that suits its requirements.

There are, however, a few estate wineries in california, many of them small. Screaming eagle, Harlan, and dominus are all self-sufficient. one of the few large-scale estate wineries in napa Valley is Trefethen, with 500 acres (200ha) of vineyards. it is very much the exception. one reason for this mix-and-match approach is that many wineries sell hundreds of cases out of their tasting rooms, and they therefore need a wide range of wines to offer customers. To a european it may seem odd that a napa winery will include on its list a mendocino Sauvignon Blanc or a Santa Barbara Pinot noir, but that is often the case. wineries do not always attract a knowledgeable clientele. i have often stood in a tasting room in dry creek Valley offering nothing but robust red wines and overheard visitors ask if they have any white wines. if the answer is no, a sale has been squandered.

There are other reasons for the dearth of estate wineries. first, a winery may be more interested in winemaking than in farming. The two professions are very different, and they call for different skills. many winemakers would rather leave the business of growing grapes to specialists. Quite a few california wineries—Testarossa, Siduri, arcadian—are simply négociant businesses, owning no land but buying grapes from prestigious vineyards. another reason is that most top vineyards are not for sale; even if you only want to buy their grapes, you must go down on bended knee with your money at the ready. The majority of the fine old Zinfandel vineyards in napa and Sonoma are owned by families that have farmed them for generations. They have no intention, all things being equal, of selling their precious heritage to anyone else. estates such as Trefethen were acquired when land was relatively cheap. only billionaires could contemplate buying a few hundred acres of prime vineyard land today.

The rise and rise of the estate winery

as a consequence of this structure, there is a constant tension between wineries and growers. Put simply, the grower wishes to obtain both the highest possible prices for his grapes and the largest yield compatible with good quality. The winery, on the other hand, wants to acquire fruit at the most competitive price. depending on the economic situation, it may be the grower who is on the phone to offer winemakers as much fruit as they want, or it may be the winery that is making the rounds, on the lookout for affordable fruit of acceptable quality.

Jim Young, of the robert Young Vineyard in alexander Valley, recalls: “Until 1999 or 2000, there was no need for us to knock on doors. Then there was a change, because there was an oversupply of grapes, and wineries started canceling contracts. So the market fluctuates. Sometimes the wineries have the upper hand, sometimes the growers do, but there is always a demand for good grapes. it’s rare for contracts to exceed three years, though we have a long-term contract with chateau St Jean that has never been canceled. fads can also affect demand. merlot is out of fashion, so a grower will have to accept a fairly low price, since wineries can easily find cheap merlot grapes.”

Although there are plenty of small-scale growers tending a few acres that have been either inherited or purchased as part of a “lifestyle” investment, the professional growers often farm thousands of acres. The kendall- Jackson company cultivates 12,500 acres (5,060ha), the kautz family tends thousands of acres in lodi, and in the north coast the Beckstoffer family farms more than 3,000 acres (1,200ha). Growing grapes can be big business.

Andy Beckstoffer did not begin life as a farmer. a Southerner, he has an mBa from dartmouth college and went to work for the drinks company Heublein as a production analyst. Heublein was keen to make inroads into the wine business and had its eye on the famous Beaulieu winery. Beckstoffer helped clinch that deal in 1969. He then formed a subsidiary called Vinifera development company, which took care of keeping Heublein supplied with grapes as its wine production expanded. He also planted hundreds of acres of cabernet Sauvignon off his own bat, anticipating the demand for the variety. By 1973, Heublein was losing interest in Vinifera development. Beckstoffer made a successful offer for the company and, in his early 30s, found himself the owner of 1,200 acres (485ha) in napa and mendocino. Today, the Beckstoffer family owns vineyards in napa, mendocino, and lake county.

Some of those plantings are new (such as those in lake county), others are historic vineyards. whenever there was a downturn in the wine industry, Beckstoffer was ready to pounce, snapping up vineyards that shortsighted farmers or wineries were finally willing to relinquish. indeed, nine out of the ten vineyards that Beckstoffer owns in napa were purchased from wineries. in 1988, Beckstoffer bought one of the historic Beaulieu vineyards, and in 1993 he acquired 90 acres (36ha) in the legendary To kalon vineyard in oakville. The Beckstoffers are more than collectors. if theirs has become a name to be reckoned with, it is because they are expert farmers who have thought long and hard about such matters as vine density, drip irrigation, and integrated pest management.

A few years ago, andy Beckstoffer showed me one of his rutherford vineyards. He explained how they had chosen the precise row orientation to encourage even ripening of the bunches; he talked about how different clones had been selected to match each soil type; he spoke of density and spacing and how yield was calculated; and of information technology and the difficulty of analyzing the stacks of data now at their disposal.

as technically astute growers, andy Beckstoffer and his son david, who joined the company in 1997, are by no means alone. equally revered are growers such as larry Hyde and lee Hudson in carneros, the Pisonis in monterey, and the dutton family in russian river Valley. Their names on a “vineyard-designated” bottle of wine are good indications of quality, because these growers tend to be choosy about who they sell their grapes to.

The bottle formula

The system of “growers on the one hand and wineries on the other,” is now well established. andy Beckstoffer explains: “The california system came about because wine production is a capital-intensive business. few could afford to run both vineyards and wineries. This led to a situation in the 1980s when wineries simply didn’t value vineyards. They thought they could cook up wines from whatever was delivered to them, and they often sold off their own vineyards, which allowed people like us to accumulate significant holdings. winemakers are now taking more of an interest in what happens in the vineyards. in the past, we would never see winemakers until just before harvest time. now they are checking the vines year-round. But there is still a basic conflict, in that traditional growers want to overproduce and old-style wineries want to underpay.”

The traditional way to pay a grower was according to sugar levels. By the 1970s, contracts had become more sophisticated as both growers and winemakers devised parameters that would trigger payments and/or penalties. Beckstoffer, however, threw all that out of the window when he came up with “the bottle formula,” which stipulates that the price of the grapes should be directly related to the price of the wine made from them. “it’s very simple,” says Beckstoffer. “The bottle formula ensures that the grower gets proper reward for the quality of the wine made from his grapes. That puts the grower and winery on the same page. whatever the bottle price, the price per ton is 100 times higher. Therefore, a $100 bottle would require our grape price to be $10,000 per ton. many other growers now use the same formula. However, we also have a minimum price per acre, which allows a winery to reduce its crop below our usual level if it wishes to do so, while we continue to control the actual farming. we can’t have a hundred different winemakers as our bosses.

“Growers need to run vineyards profitably, but they also see them as a treasure to be preserved, especially in napa. That means revenue has to go to the land as well as the wineries, or you won’t preserve the vineyards. it means that grapes aren’t treated simply as a commodity to be traded. it’s our way of giving the client access to some of the best vineyards of the valley. Just as important, it returns profitability to the land, which is the only way napa will survive as an agricultural area. The moment that ceases, vineyards will be turned into shopping malls, as happened in Sonoma. That is the ultimate justification for the bottle formula.”

This sounds high-minded, but many wineries regard Beckstoffer, rightly or wrongly, as a hard-headed businessman, as well as an expert farmer.

Potential for conflict

There are many issues on which both sides need to agree when drawing up a contract. These include crop and ripeness levels, the harvesting date, and the extent to which the client can dictate how the vineyard is farmed. The fundamental decision is whether the grower is paid by the ton or by the acre (0.47ha). The former is a simple calculation, and if the grower greedily overcrops, he may well face the eventual termination of the contract. if payment is by the acre, then crop levels no longer matter. if the grower’s instinct is to crop at 5 tons per acre but the client insists on only 3 tons, the grower may as well oblige the client, since the payment will be the same.

Beckstoffer, for one, is not keen on winemakers telling him how to do his job. “if the winery wants to dictate farming practices to an excessive extent, then it’s likely the relationship won’t work out. a long-term contract requires trust on both sides and an understanding that sometimes conditions favor one side, sometimes the other. Some winemakers still believe that the lower the yields, the better the wine will be, which is debatable. They feel pressured by their owners or by wine critics to aim for very low yields. But it’s very hard to estimate the weight of the bunches. we growers can do a bunch count, but we won’t have an exact idea of the weight per bunch—and thus the tonnage—until September, and sometimes our best estimates are wrong. it almost impossible to contract for an exact tonnage, so what we do is contract to deliver certain rows. if we are being paid a minimum price per acre, then we can accept that the client has the right to ask for the crop to be reduced, and we can go into harvest knowing that we won’t be left with excess grapes if harvest exceeds estimates.”

Jim Young feels the potential conflict is overstated. “i know some producers claim to do their own farming, but what they do is rarely something that wouldn’t be done by us anyway,” he says. “a good grower will pull leaves to get better aeration and make sure clusters aren’t touching. it’s expensive work, but it’s also a kind of crop insurance, since there will be less chance of rot if the weather deteriorates.

“With a per-acre contract, clients feel free to instruct us to reduce the crop severely. But often they don’t understand that an exceedingly low crop can give vegetal tones just as much as an excessively large crop. That’s because the balance of the vines is being disturbed, so they’re not expressing their fruit as well as they could and should.

“wineries also decide the picking date and cite minimum Brix in the contract, as well as a maximum figure. we would normally aim to pick at 25.5° Brix, by which time the ripening should be homogenous. of course, weather patterns can intervene, which is why there has to be some latitude, some understanding between both parties.”

Virginia lambrix, formerly viticulturist for deloach and now winemaker for Truett-Hurst, both in Sonoma, is also skeptical about the mania for ultra-low yields. “Some winemakers believe they can produce a 95-point wine from some vineyards simply by reducing yields. Such demands can annoy even the best growers, because those winemakers are using conventional wisdom to assert that low yields necessarily result in better wines. even with a per-acre contract, there can be tension. Growers hate seeing their vines being punished, however much they’re being paid. also, every time a winery demands some shoot removal or additional bunch-thinning, it costs growers money to meet these demands.”

Reaching a compromise

when a grower begins working with a new client, it is standard practice to negotiate a one-year contract. if all goes well, then a more long-term deal can be concluded. david ramey, who buys from some of the north coast’s top vineyards, dryly observes that “the most trouble-free relations with growers are those concluded with a handshake. when i have to sign a 14-page contract, i know there could be problems ahead.”

certain decisions are always left up to the client. The harvesting date is crucial, so winemakers will keep checking the vineyards they buy from in the weeks before harvest. Their decision may be based on how the grapes are tasting and their anticipated maturation, on weather forecasts, or on more banal issues such as the availability of tank space at the winery. The grower will supply the crew to harvest, but if a large number of client wineries all want their rows or blocks picked on the same day, the grower and the winemaker will just have to argue it out and reach a decision satisfactory to both parties.

The most conscientious growers prepare carefully before harvesting. lee Hudson in carneros explains: “we’ll give an estimated harvest date to wineries to help them get prepared, but sometimes we have to keep calling them before they will actually make a decision. we try to deleaf the vines the night before picking a block. it means the winery gets fruit with fewer leaves, and it also allows our crew to pick more quickly. we ask wineries to give us three days’ notice before picking their blocks, but it doesn’t often work out that way. But we have to have a dance card, and it gets filled up fast. i’ll only allow winery crews into the vineyard if we’re really maxed out with picking too many blocks.”

Since the 1990s, with the mantra of “phenolic ripeness above all else,” it has become common for winemakers to demand ever longer hang-times, with, as a consequence, ever higher sugar levels. Growers such as Beckstoffer are by no means happy with this trend, which often seems driven by the wish to make wines in a style that appeals to critics and, thus, wins those priceless high scores from the press. “The trend toward very late harvesting of overripe fruit is unwelcome to most growers,” says Beckstoffer. “Sugar accumulation over 24° Brix comes not from photosynthesis but from dehydration, which means lower tonnage. we give our clients precise data on the numbers and chemistry of their blocks to help them reach the right decision on when to pick. and there are other reasons for late harvesting, such as a larger-than- anticipated crop that leads to full tanks. That means wineries have to complete fermentation of a tank before it can receive a new batch of fruit. But as growers, we can’t delay indefinitely. The winery must make an effort to find the capacity for our fruit, and we will do our best to help them. That’s where a good relationship is important, so that we can deal with such problems.

“we have our own idea of optimal ripeness. we feel flavor development is best at 25–26° Brix, and i’m not convinced we can get that ripeness at 24° Brix. what we, and many good winemakers, want is ripeness without exceeding 15% alcohol. in my view, napa’s claim to greatness has to be based on the wine’s compatibility with food, and an ability to age in an interesting way.”

Young also finds demands for excessive hang-time irritating, concurring with Beckstoffer that dehydration leads to loss of weight and thus lower revenues per ton. “what’s more, during harvest, overripe berries can simply drop off the bunch, leaving you with a substantial part of the crop on the ground. You can lose as much as half a ton per acre that way.”

i ask lee Hudson whether he minds his beautifully cultivated grapes being deliberately picked overripe and then watered during fermentation to produce a drinkable wine. “no, not really. in france they have the opposite problem, so they chaptalize. Here, they water! anyway, ripeness and quality are subjective notions.”

Some growers welcome active participation in the farming by interested winemakers. at Pisoni in monterey, mark Pisoni says, “we sell by the row and by the acre, so we’re happy to have our clients specifying yields and the number of clusters per shoot. we have also done an experiment jointly with winemaker adam lee of Siduri. we harvested some vines at different crop levels, and he fermented them separately; then we got together to assess how they had turned out. we found that cropping at 2.5 tons per acre gave better wine than the same vines at 1 ton per acre.”

if they can’t be resolved by discussion, major disagreements between growers and wineries will result in the eventual termination of the contract. Hudson notes that many wineries, in these difficult economic times, are keen to wriggle out of some of their existing contracts. “if a winery wants out and i can find another buyer, it’s no problem. if i can’t, then they have to stick with me and honor the contract. in the present economic conditions, my costs are rising, while many clients’ sales are slipping. So, at some point, we may have to agree to go our separate ways. Grape farming is a business, but it’s based on relationships that in some cases have endured for decades. Some of my clients were my classmates at davis.”

where there is considerable trust on both sides, vineyard development can become almost a joint venture. over in Sonoma, the dutton family has been farming apples for generations, and grapes since 1967, when warren dutton first put chardonnay vines into the ground, even though his neighbors said he was crazy, insisting that chardonnay would never ripen. Since dutton’s death in 2001, the vineyards have been run by his sons, who farm more than 1,000 acres (400ha) in 60 sites. Unlike the Beckstoffers, who like to call the shots, the duttons are willing to be more accommodating, especially when planting or replanting a block. often clients will come to them and outline their needs. Sometimes the duttons will agree to custom-plant for them, with joint decisions on clones, trellising, and other matters. But that will be entertained only if the client will agree to a long-term contract, because it takes five years to recoup the costs of putting in a new vineyard. much the same happens at other prestigious vineyards. Thus, at Bien nacido in Santa maria Valley, Syrah was planted at the request of au Bon climat and Qupé.

Contracts and agreements

lee Hudson is a good-humored man with a mop of curly graying hair, but behind the joviality there is clearly a sharp mind for business. He recalls that in the late 1980s he started receiving requests to green-harvest. “To growers, that seemed like dropping money on the ground. what these clients wanted was, in effect, to lease a block of vines from me, rather than just buying whatever came off that block. That required a different arrangement. we could assume that the yield a grower could reasonably accept from this land is 5 tons per acre—though here at Hudson it’s often half as much. if the going rate was $2,000 per ton, then i would expect to earn $10,000 per acre. So i could agree to give the winery control over the crop for that sum. That way my interest was protected. The winery could risk reducing the crop without having to go to the expense of purchasing land and planting vines. That sum of $10,000 is an average. Growers make money from generous years when there is a huge crop, given by nature. But that happens only every few years, and a high-yield year is almost always followed by a low-yield year. So we estimate an average, but this can only work with long-term contracts. This per-acre system was a response to a burgeoning market and higher wine prices.”

Surprisingly, Hudson still sells half his crop by the ton, not by the acre. “it’s my crew that takes care of all the processes from pruning to harvest. i’m happy to let wineries have a say or even send their viticulturists here to watch procedures such as leaf-pulling take place. Unfortunately, the only person we see from some wineries is the winemaker coming here on the day of harvest to complain about something. But good wineries take pride in their blocks and take a close interest in them, which i welcome. The only thing i won’t do is let their crews into the vineyard to pick the grapes. That’s our job. all that is fine with a tonnage contract. But if the winery wants to dictate the crop level, then they have to negotiate a per-acre contract. i see myself essentially as a custom farmer, and i am happy to cooperate as best i can with what wineries want— but i also have the right to charge appropriately.” (Bruce cakebread of the eponymous napa winery also favors per- ton contracts. “if you pay per acre, the grower may still neglect frost protection or make other errors, which then become problems to be borne by the client.”)

further fine points in the Hudson contract require the joint skills of lawyer and mathematician. “contracts can get complicated at harvest. our tonnage contracts have a rain

clause and a sugar clause. at over 24° Brix, dehydration occurs, which lowers our tonnage. Twenty years ago, wineries wanted grapes picked at 23.5° Brix, but today it’s considerably higher. our clause states that if the Brix is over 25.5, then the seller (me) will be paid the target yield times the price per ton and the number of acres. This protects us from losing financially if the sugar is higher than it should be. The rain clause states that if the client delays harvest after the fruit has reached 25.5° Brix and it starts to rain, the grapes are theirs whatever the quality. The wineries sign this kicking and screaming, but they have to accept responsibility for their decisions and not saddle the grower with the consequences.”

like the Beckstoffers, Hudson operates a bottle formula. “with my costs and with the naturally low crop in carneros, there’s no way i can sell fruit to end up in a $25 bottle. Some 75 percent of my costs are labor costs, and we give our vineyard workers good pay and benefits. Years ago, it took 40 man-hours to farm an acre; today, with all the operations demanded of us, it’s close to 250. The pricing of my grapes reflects not just the bottle cost but the added value of the Hudson name—i don’t just apply a formula. as for vineyard designates or per-acre contracts, i won’t even consider them until some years have gone by and both parties have got to know each other. i have a license on my name, which gives me the right to sample three bottles of wine made from my grapes before they are labeled. So if a wine that is going to carry my name is of poor quality, i can stop it. But almost all wineries self-regulate, so that [need] hardly ever arises. if i were to withdraw permission to vineyard-designate, it would in effect be the end of my relationship with that winery.”

The view from the other side

and what of the winery’s point of view? Tom mackey, the veteran winemaker at St francis in the Sonoma Valley, is probably typical of most. “we have more control over our 45 contracted vineyards than in the past, and we employ a viticulture consultant who takes suggestions directly to the growers. we have some input into the farming at a few vineyards, but in general i prefer growers to do their own farming. contracts are three to five years, and in the rare cases when growers won’t respond to suggestions and improve quality, they’re not renewed. But my team is continually in the vineyards, because we don’t want any surprises at harvest. Some wineries have become too hard- nosed in their relations with growers, and that’s only earned them animosity. we prefer a consensual approach and invite our growers to two-day meetings, complete with barbecues, so they can all taste the wines from their grapes. we pay by the ton, but contracts specify yields and clusters per shoot; and of course, we decide the picking date.”

For Joel Peterson at ravenswood, “the input we have at each vineyard will vary. Some need little or none. others welcome it. Sometimes it’s no more than a conversation. working with a top grower is as close as you can get to owning your own vineyard without actually doing so.”

Although some wineries claim to make a substantial contribution to the farming at contracted vineyards, it seems that this is often exaggerated. david ramey in Sonoma notes, “at Hyde and Hudson i can control anything i want, but i don’t need to. The vineyards are self-limiting in terms of yield. i do a little leaf-pulling and canopy management, but this is just fine-tuning.” Pax mahle, a Syrah specialist in Sonoma, adds, “if you want to farm a parcel yourself, you have to deal with the pride of the grower, and that often means compensating them financially for perceived losses.”

Three is a crowd

dr Phillip freese observes how the role of the viticulturist has changed over the years: “as a viticulturist working for mondavi, i was certainly able to pass on to our growers new skills and techniques that would increase quality. now, as a consultant, i can act as an intermediary, a kind of guidance counselor, since i speak a common language. many winemakers talk to growers in a kind of ‘wine-speak’ that many growers just don’t understand. Growers vary greatly in their knowledge. in napa they tend to be very well educated; in Sonoma, less so. But the links between vineyards and wineries are growing closer all the time, which is positive.”

Viticulturist Virginia lambrix likes to form a relationship with the grower, so that both benefit—but it doesn’t always work. Some
growers are hobby farmers who may have acquired an excellent site but don’t know the best way to farm it. She can help them to do so. “However, we need to be know. every grower is real nice when the contract has been signed—but a year on, they can grow a second head and relations can plummet.”

not every grower is a professional like Beckstoffer or Hudson. many have retired from their careers and fancy living in their own vineyard. Such proprietors usually employ vineyard-management companies. These may do a very good job, but they complicate the communications between the grower and would-be clients. lambrix notes, “it’s not ideal if the winery calls the [vineyard-management] company directly, because if the latter follows the winery’s instructions, it’s still the grower that gets sent the bill [for extra costs incurred]. But if you talk directly to the owner, he doesn’t always understand what’s required or transmit the request correctly to the management company. i find it important to get all parties into the vineyard at the same time, so you can sort out issues in advance.

“my job at deloach included forming links between the winery and the vineyards. for most wineries, that’s a luxury. But an experienced viticulturist can contribute to the quality of the farming. i can walk through a vineyard and spot problems that the grower may not recognize, simply because i have walked through hundreds of vineyards, while many growers only see their own. But you need to be diplomatic. if the relationship becomes adversarial, both sides suffer. lifestyle growers are not really farming grapes as a business, so they are often less committed than a professional grower.”

Pros and cons

does the california model work? i think it does, even though there is no substitute for the estate that grows its own grapes and can control the innumerable variables. a good grower is not necessarily a good winemaker, however, and vice versa. at small properties, expert consultants can be used to bridge that gap. at large wineries, highly trained professionals can monitor the work of their regular growers. But there will always be a measure of uncertainty when the grower and the winery are separate entities. many growers complain of interference by arrogant winemakers, and no doubt some growers can get up the noses of winemakers by refusing to take their requests and goals seriously enough. The harvest period is fraught with difficulties, too. Grapes may not always be picked at the optimal moment, sorting may be inadequate, and a slapdash winemaker can make a mess of the finest grapes.

Yet the system muddles along. The best growers—or the vineyard-management companies and consultants they employ—can produce fruit of dazzling quality, and despite some stylistic aberrations, most winemakers are technically competent. at its best, the system pits professionals against professionals, whereas at its worst in europe, it places amateurs alongside amateurs.

There is one major drawback. all farming entails costs, obviously, but if you cultivate your own estate, it is the winery that controls those costs. By entering into a contract with a prestigious grower, you are buying more than a bunch of grapes. You will be paying for the reputation of the vineyard and the grower. That premium may be justified, but it will have an inevitable effect on the price of the wine. with wineries competing to obtain fruit from the best sites, the grower can charge high prices indeed. The highest price paid to a napa grower for cabernet Sauvignon in 2008 was $27,500 per ton—an astronomical sum that can be earned back only by a very costly bottle. It is no surprise that many consumers consider California wines in general, and Napa wines in particular, to be seriously overpriced.

As a grapegrower and resident of Napa County for 35 years, I am very concerned about the latest challenge to the County’s General Plan, the current version of which was adopted only last year after a three-year update and review process involving county government, paid consultants and public input. The winery definition ordinance contained in the general plan was not modified in the latest update and has remained unchanged for 20 years.
The latest assault on the general plan comes from those who would like to modify the WDO to provide economic stimulus to wineries and the catering industry by allowing wineries to put on social and promotional events that are currently restricted by the WDO. Agricultural preservation is very important to me. Our family owns significant vineyard acreage in the Napa Valley and sells grapes to more than 60 different wineries here. Although we don’t make, wine, no one is more concerned about the health and welfare of Napa Valley wineries and the Napa wine business. We are, however, not willing to endanger agricultural preservation in pursuit of that concern. We as managers can and must find better ways to provide industry growth without sacrificing agriculture protection. Further, we believe that for the Agricultural Preserve to be sustained, we need an economically viable Napa County and not just a healthy grape and wine business. We need to remember that the voters live in the cities.
So often, when we consider county concerns we consider only the Napa Valley (the grape and wine part) and not the entire Napa County. The preservation of agriculture in the Napa Valley is best served by an economically viable Napa County, including not only the vineyards and wineries but also the businesses in the cities.
During the development of the current Winery Definition Ordinance in 1989, there was a draft ordinance produced by the county staff. That draft WDO was then analyzed in an Environmental impact report required by the county. The draft WDO allowed all of the promotional and cultural events that are again being sought in the current request for changes. The final environmental report stated that this activity was “inconsistent with the Napa County General Plan Land Use Element.” That Land Use Element as stated in the Napa County General Plan of June 2009 has as its first two goals:
“Preserve existing agricultural land uses and plan for agriculture and related activities as the primary land uses in Napa County”
“Concentrate urban uses in the county’s existing cities and town and urbanized areas.”
The general plan is designed to protect not only agriculture but also the businesses of the cities of Napa, American Canyon and the Upvalley cities.
In this current action, the hospitality industry is being represented by a group of caterers and event planners concerned about their winery business. Do they represent the real interests of the hotels and inns and restaurants and the major hospitality industry of Napa County and their employees? If they are successful in opening up the wineries to all sorts of hospitality events, what happens to the businesses in the cities and the
viability of the overall county? The cities of Napa and American Canyon can no longer depend on the likes of Rough Rider, Napa Pipe and Mare Island for their economic health.
If the current economic difficulties of the caterers allows more urban uses in the agricultural preserve, what about the struggling restaurants and inns in the county and small grape growers? Why can’t the restaurants add a few more seats? The inns add a few more rooms? The small grapegrower turn his home into a B&B? Where does it all end?
The current controversy is about more than weddings at wineries. It is about the long-term economic structure and jobs location in the county. The major hospitality industry and the small businessmen of the cities of Napa, American Canyon, Yountville, St. Helena and Calistoga need to be involved and represented in this WDO controversy. We need a balanced view including the concerns of the people and businesses of the cities of Napa County. That is the best way to preserve Napa Valley and its agriculture.
(Beckstoffer is a grapegrower who lives in Napa County.)

Andy Beckstoffer, the founder of Napa Valley’s Beckstoffer Vineyards, wanted to donate a piece of his land to conservation, but it didn’t make sense financially – his property would bring in much more if he sold it than left it to grow grapes forever.

But when Congress passed legislation in 2006 to bolster tax deductions to those who donated conservation easements, Beckstoffer set aside the 90-acre To Kalon Vineyard in Rutherford.

“The tax incentive changed it all,” Beckstoffer said recently.

Now Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, is pushing to make permanent his tempo- rary legislation that has prompted Beckstoffer and hundreds of other landowners across the nation to protect property from development.
The legislation, which ex- pires at year’s end, has helped increase conservation ease- ments by 50 percent nation- wide, according to Thompson.
But the bill is most important in the Bay Area, he said, be- cause of the region’s rapid development rate and sky-high land values.
“One of the problems we have is that development pres- sures become so strong that it’s hard for folks to keep farming or to keep open space (with) the lure of a lot of mon- ey,” Thompson said.
The deductions are targeted at moderate-income landown- ers like Beckstoffer, said Rus- sell Shay, the director of pub- lic policy at the Land Trust Alliance, a national conserva- tion group in Washington.
This is especially true in the Bay Area, where land is worth more than the income it pro- duces.
With a conservation ease- ment, the land can never be developed, even if it is sold to a new owner. The price of the land generally drops because the land loses its development potential.
But the tax deductions – up to 100 percent of income earned on land donated to conservation – help cover the loss of development rights while protecting the region’s land, agriculture, water and wildlife, said Bettina Ring, executive director of the Bay Area Open Space Council, a coalition of land trusts, gov- ernment agencies and environ- mental groups.
Dave and Marian Moffitt of Yountville, who donated a 60-acre parcel a year ago from the property on which they live, said they would not have made the gift without the tax breaks.
Now, if they sell their prop- erty, “No one can come cut down all the trees and put up a mega-mansion,” Marian Moffitt said.
The legislation has 261 co-sponsors, including the major- | said. “That can add up.”
ity of representatives of both parties, but its main challenge might be getting it heard given Congress’ focus on health care reform.
“Health care has sucked the oxygen out of this building,” Thompson said. “That’s all anybody’s paying attention to.” He added that if he can’t get the bill passed, he will extend the temporary tax incentives. Thompson said the bill is receiving broad support be- cause it will help the entire country.
“If you own 35,000 acres in Wyoming, that’s not some- thing to sneeze at,” Thompson
The legislation will ensure that land devoted to agricul- ture will continue to be farmed if it is donated. Thompson has also proposed an estate tax bill that would eliminate inheritance taxes for farming and ranch lands if the next generation continues that work.
California’s economic woes add to the necessity of the tax incentives, said Erin Davis, director of communications at the California Rangeland Trust, a ranchers’ group de- voted to conservation.
The state has frozen fund- ing for local governments and
land trusts to buy easements, increasing the significance of donated land.
Beckstoffer, meanwhile, continues to donate land ease- ments – preserving a total of 240 acres in working vine- yards with an additional 90 acres planned for this year. He knows he could have sold the land for much more than the tax benefits provide.
“I’m sure some spouse of some great-grandchild is going to hate me,” Beckstoffer said. “We’re going to be growing grapes on that land forever.”

Andy Beckstoffer, the North Coast’s largest independent grape grower, has purchased two pear orchards in Mendocino County and begun converting them into about 300 acres of organic chardonnay vineyards. The project on the banks of the Russian River in Hopland reflects Beckstoffer’s belief that the wine industry’s future remains strong, especially for reasonably priced wines.

“I think the industry’s long-term prospects are very good,” Beckstoffer said. “The question is the timing of this. Are we really too early?
The project is noteworthy because new vineyard development in California has been at a virtual standstill for several years. The record grape harvest of 2005 flooded the market, depressing grape prices and halting most vineyard projects.
Just as the grape industry was recovering following several smaller harvests, the reces- sion and credit crunch hit, drying up the capital most farmers need for vineyard ex- pansions.
But Beckstoffer’s move is an encouraging sign for the industry, said veteran vineyard consultant Tony Correia.
“I think that sale is significant because Andy is one of the savviest guys out there,” Correia said. “There hasn’t been much hap- pening in Mendocino County for a while.”
While not known by the general public, Beckstoffer is a major player in the wine in- dustry. He farms more than 3,000 acres of vineyards in Napa, Lake and Mendocino counties, selling grapes to wineries that in- clude Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Duckhorn, Quintessa and Clos du Val.
Last month, Beckstoffer purchased a178-acre orchard just north of Hopland be- tween the Russian River and Highway 101. The land had been owned by the Thomas family, a prominent Mendocino County pear grower that has been around “since Moses was a corporal,” Beckstoffer said.
He had previously purchased an adjacent 197 acres, and will now develop the property jointly, he said.
For the two sales, Beckstoffer paid $3.2 million combined, or about $8,500 an acre, said Tony Ford, who represented the Tho- mas family in the transaction.
The land has excellent water rights, which is one of the features that made it at- tractive, Beckstoffer said.
“We think that Mendocino chardonnay is just excellent,” he said. “The marketing hasn’t been what it could have been in the past.”
The Alex R. Thomas Co., which was found- ed in 1919 in Ukiah and has holdings around the county, has suffered financial strain in recent years. Pear prices have softened from foreign competition, and Mendocino County is losing about 100 acres of pears a year, ac- cording to the county’s Agricultural Com- missioner.
After the bulldozers have finished knock- ing down the pear trees, the ground will be prepared, irrigation systems installed, trel- lises erected, and young vines planted.
Beckstoffer hopes to have a good portion of the work completed by the end of the
year.
While he’s confident of the industry’s long- term prospects, Beckstoffer said he wouldn’t want others to follow his lead just yet. He’s far from certain about the grape industry’s short-term health, given the state of the econ- omy.
“I think it’s a risky thing right now,” Beckstoffer said. “If you haven’t got the resources, it could be very risky.”
That’s because the impact of the recession on consumers re- mains unclear.
“Nobody expected this eco- nomic crisis and nobody knows how long it’s going to last,” he said. “That’s the tough thing.”
But Ford said the deal makes perfect sense for someone like Beckstoffer for several rea- sons. Wines under $10 are sell- ing strongly now as cash- strapped consumers hunt for bargain wines. Mendocino grape quality is high but pric- es are modest compared to Sonoma and Napa, Ford said. Mendocino County’s average grape price was $1,352 a ton last year, compared to $2,235 for Sonoma and $3,390 a ton in Napa.
That means Beckstoffer’s chardonnay grapes will be in demand among winemakers who want to make a Mendoci- no County wine in the $10 range or need grapes for blend- ing into more expensive wines, Ford said.
Correia agreed Beckstoffer’s move seemed like a smart one. “The folks that are doing things right now are folks who have stronger resources than the typical family farmer,” Correia said.

Despite all that is known about the rich history and tradition of vineyards and winemaking in the Napa Valley, there remains a chasm between what was and what is.

The numerous books and studies that recount the wine industry’s history and identify its most important pioneers – Mr. Yount, Krug, Beringer, Hudson, York, Rutherford, et al notwithstanding, it was never clearly defined who owned what and which vineyards have operated continuously as vineyards over the past century.
But when an exhaustive three- phase study being driven by Andy Beckstoffer is complete, this gap will be bridged.
Launched in 2003, the Historic Vineyard Registry project will be the “golden spike” linking the old Valley with the present one. The project is sponsored by the Napa Valley Grapegrowers Association.
What has been determined is that the wine industry reached a promontory point in the 1890s when the Napa Valley had 18,177 acres planted in grapes (as opposed to the modern-day 44,000 acres). What is rapidly becoming clear are the names of who grew grapes on each of those acres.
The “legwork” for phase one is being done by St. Helena cultural anthropologist Rue Ziegler, Ph.D. She has completed research encompassing the records of more than 6,000 grape growers. Her objective is to establish a researchable database of all the growers in Valley histo- ry. Who is eligible among all these growers to have their vine- yards listed in the Registry will then be determined by a Beck- stoffer-chaired select committee of gatekeepers from diverse fields. Once the Registry is up and running, individual property owners will be able to petition to have their vineyards certified as historic and be included in the registry.
“But no vineyards will go in there unless we have good infor- mation that it was a vineyard 100 years ago,” Beckstoffer said.
He provides two reasons for the study, which will cost upwards of $300,000.
“One, I want to (establish) the sense of place and terroir that is the Napa Valley,” he said. “More than just the fact that we sell wine for a lot of money, I want to make sure that people understand that this is a vineyard area.
“Secondly, if the vineyards are important, you need to preserve them. I’m really interested in doing this and in so doing mak- ing them even more important.”
Once established, Beckstoffer believes the documented Reg- istry of Vineyards ergo, wine production will give Valley wines greater leverage vs. European wines.
“It will establish that perhaps we are more a part of the old world of wine than the new one,” he reasoned. “You hear constant- ly that the Europeans produce better wines because they’ve been growing grapes for 2,000 years. I would argue that after 100 years you probably know as much as you’re going to learn.”
Beckstoffer and Ziegler contend that what has been written about the history of the Valley’s vineyards doesn’t go far enough.
“We need to define (the vineyards) in a certifiable way. Somebody didn’t just turn on the faucet,” Beckstoffer asserted. “A premium product wants to be defined as to where it comes from. We know that a product whether it’s Vidalia onions or Atlantic salmon – is sold by the way it’s grown.”
Ziegler adds: “There is no book that compiles a record of all the historic grape growers. There are pieces, but there is no compendium.”
Her research is based on 40 different documented sources, among the most informative being 1891 and 1893 Directories of Grape Growers, Wine-makers and Distillers compiled from surveys conducted by the California Viticultural Society, a forerunner to the state Department of Agriculture.
“In history books, you might be able to find 15 different names,” said Ziegler, “but you will not find all the guys that you will in the 1891 and 1893 directories.”
Another aid to obtaining the names of growers is the 1880 Napa County. census, she said, because it was the first census in which grape growers were identified. “Before that they were all listed as farmers.”
As essential to pinning down the wine industry forerunners are historic county maps secured by Beckstoffer. The maps, published in 1876, 1895 and 1915, bear the names of parcel owners. Beckstoffer suspects there will be
cynics.
“Some people are going to say, ‘Oh, you’re just talking fast and loose and this is a marketing effort,”” he acknowl- edged. “We’ve got to make sure that it is not. What we’re doing is a research project.”

The southern gentleman of Napa Valley, Andy Beckstoffer, has brought not only the charm, politesse and plantation-owner aristocracy of his native Virginia to California, he has done it with remarkable savoir-faire, grace — and grit. An engineer with a master’s degree in business, the man who has broken the mold by acquiring thousands of acres of prime vineyard property without actually getting into the wine business, is a ruddy-cheeked athlete of German stock. Today, you can not have a conversation about California Cabernet without the mention of his name.
Possibly the source of that “grit” is “Papa Beck,” who rode the boat over only a century ago to the German colony where the Beckstoffer family then built a lumber and millwork business in the Richmond, Virginia area. Andy, whose eloquence retains the charm of a Vir- ginia accent, moved to California some 60 years later where he has likewise begun what can only be called another colony; he has five children and five grandchildren.
Beckstoffer views himself lucky to have his son as president of his company. With this exception, he keeps his fam- ily on the “pleasure” side of the work ratio. On family and work Beckstoffer’s comment is “For rich, or for poorer, but not for lunch.”
The second of eight children, Andy Beckstoffer said he had a “great” child- hood. He attended a military high school before landing a football scholarship to Virginia Polytechnic Institute. A stint in the army was followed by a return to school, this time to Dartmouth for an M.B.A.
A four-time marathon runner, Beckstoffer still enjoys hiking all over the world.
He also keeps himself busy winning awards like the “citizen of the year,” which was bestowed on he and his wife, Betty in 2000 by the St. Helena Chamber of Commerce for their dedication and active participation in the community. In 2005 Andy was awarded the Grower of the Year award by COPIA. In the Napa Valley, the Beckstoffer name is perhaps most closely associated with the Rutherford Dust Society, a group he founded and presides over that promotes Rutherford terroir. In May of 2006, the Napa Grapegrowers Association awarded its first Grower of the Year Award to Andy, according to Beckst- offer’s website bio. In 2007 the Napa County Farm Bureau acknowledged Andy as Agriculturist of the Year, and that same year he also received the first ever U.S. Congressional Wine Caucus Commendation, his site also states.
Fred Schrader called Beckstoffer a “visionary” who is “very focused on producing the best quality grapes that is possible.” The Schrader Cellars luminary explained that his 10-year-old partnership with Beckstoffer -wherein Beckstoffer grows the grapes and Schrader makes the wine-is the best of all possible worlds. He pointed to the double century marks the Tokalon- sourced wines won, with three others trailing at 98, 98 and 99 respectively in the 2006 vintage, as a new achievement for California. “This is the result that Andy and I get by working together,” he said.
Beckstoffer’s career began at Heub- lein Inc., a company that was in Beckst- offer’s words “into buying companies.” He arranged the purchase of United Vintners’ Italian Swiss Colonies, owned by the coooperative of grape growers at the time -the late ’60s. Beckstoffer said he was 29 years old when he started the vineyard business for Heublein. He then convinced his employer to sell the vineyards to him. He leveraged the purchase, according to his company’s literature, with the $7,500 he was worth at the time.
“I was 33 when I bought it,” he said, “and I’m 37 now.”
Beckstoffer’s joke is not lost on any Napa, Mendocino or Lake County grower or real estate professional. The “B” has come a long way in the inter- vening years; he will be 70 years old in 2009. His name is on 3,500 acres of ultra premium winegrape acreage in three counties and there’s no sign he’s letting up.
With 600 acres -strong in the red hills overlooking Clear Lake, the Beck- stoffer machine is scheduled to carve another 400 acres out of Lake County wilderness in the next three years, all of it destined for organic certification.
The age-wise philosophy behind the accomplishments of the man runs to the quirky without losing the solidity of the pragmatic farmer.
For Beckstoffer, the business of growing grapes is about land steward- ship, which he defines as “leaving it at no risk of urbanization” and “in better condition for future farming than you found it.”
Speaking of the future during the worst economic times in recent history, Beckstoffer’s prophecy is optimistic, albeit painted with a broad brush: “The whole world is going to be brighter and have more fun.”
Likewise unique is Beckstoffer’s self-perception. Beckstoffer said he feels his greatest accomplishments are not land acquisition but raising the eco- nomic, social and political status of the grape grower. He also lists “raising the consciousness of the importance of the vineyard” in the winemaking process. But that is all he lists.
He is also quick – and brief – when asked what his mistakes have been. “I should have bought more land,” he said.
On the serious side of the question, Beckstoffer said every time his busi- ness has had trouble, it was because of communication breakdown or because someone didn’t pay attention to detail.
As Beckstoffer’s legacy is clearly turning ‘farmers’ into ‘viticulturists,’ so his list of wines, which top out by tickling Wine Spectator’s century mark, have proved his dust to must philosophy. By inventing the formula of basing his price of grapes on the price of the bottle, he has led winemakers into the vineyard, where, he implied, the wine is actually made.
Beckstoffer claims he is not in the winery business. But he is in the winemaking business.
The industry-known (but hardly embraced) Beckstoffer grape value formula provides a minimum per-acre price for the grapes but ties the price per bottle to the price the grower receives per ton by a factor of 100. For example, if Beckstoffer has a three-acre block and the winery wants just 10 tons out of it to produce a bottle of wine that retails for $130, Beckstoffer will receive $13,000 perton for whatever the block produces, or $39,000 per acre (his contracted minimum,) whichever is higher.
The incentives that are created bal- ance the needs of the grower with the ambition of the winery.
Why is Beckstoffer not in the winery business? Another salient answer: it is not logical; it takes a whole different
skillset to market and sell wine.
But Beckstoffer later concedes, “there is a lot of stuff I don’t want you to know.”
But among the things Beckstoffer does want growers to know, is that they should not sacrifice quality for tonnage. “You can’t lose money in the vineyard and make it up in the winery,” he said.
Likewise unexpected, his reasons for environmental consciousness derive from a respect for the worker. “If you want to keep workers happy, you have to be environmentally sensitive,” he said. Winegrowing, Beckstoffer efficient- ly elucidates, “is a very complicated business.”
Beckstoffer has been a key propo- nent of many of vineyard technological innovations over the years. His public relations literature credits him with no less than bringing drip irrigation to Napa Valley. Who would doubt it?
“You don’t just go out and prune,” he said. “You use the natural qualities of the terroir… air, light and sun.”
You prune it for quality, he goes on, “you don’t leave fruit and go back later and finetune it.”
Beckstoffer also emphasizes use of the right rootstock, as an ongoing con- cern, as well as careful attention to the timing and quantity of irrigation.
Beyond vine manipulation admo- nitions, with which most growers are familiar, Beckstoffer does not stop. Beckstoffer is credited with found- ing the Napa Valley Grapegrowers (he was also 2nd president and a long-time Board member.) Through this organi- zation Andy has led the movement to protect and preserve agriculture and grape growing as a viable business in Northern California…
In 1976 Beckstoffer, as president of the Napa Valley Grapegrowers, joined with wine consumers to get the vari- etal and appellation content changed from 51% to 75%, thus improving the reliability and consistency of American wines.
Coming from a grower, it may seem like a strange complaint. But Becken- stoffer believes today issue is that the alcohol content of wine is too high, so that the wine competes with the food. He traces this to the chemical compo- sition of the grape, it’s pH and sugar content, which are the responsibility of the grower.
What is the job of the Chief Execu- tive Officer of a vineyard company? “In- novate and motivate,” he said simply.
On a personal plane, Beckstoffer said his ambition is driven by lifestyle. “I love the land,” he said point blank.
With the grace of the gentleman farmer he added, “There is no reason in God’s world to drink bad wine or deal with people you don’t like.”

Andy Beckstoffer has an excellent sense of “place.” For the diverse varietals of grapes grown on the more than 1,000 acres of vineyards under his ownership, to be sure. But also of his own place in the mosaic of the wine industry. Absent any form of bluster, the gentleman-farmer from Virginia assumes his well-established place among the most important growers in the Western Hemisphere. Something else, though … Beckstoffer seems to give quiet acceptance to the proposition that, with the passing of Robert Mondavi in May, he is heir to becoming the premier, numero uno, most iconic individual in the nation’s wine-production capital.
The idea is beginning to take hold in the minds of others as well. “Who else?” asks one grower. Beckstoffer is not likely to proclaim himself the successor to Mondavi, though. You don’t sim- ply replace a legend who reinvented American wine and campaigned until he had positioned the Napa Valley product alongside the greatest wines in the world.
All that aside, Beckstoffer’s response to the question of who will be the Valley’s leader now
To read more about Andy Beckstoffer, turn to Page B1
that Mondavi is gone, gives vital insight into his thought process. It is a veritable self-portrait.
“We lost Bob Mondavi, but if you go back to the 1970s the Napa Valley icon the guy who was best known was Andre Tchelistcheff, who was a production man. He was the magic chef who made the difference in making great wine,” Beck- stoffer asserted. “In the ’80s, the focus dramatical- ly changed from production to marketing-Mon- davi, who was talking about the Napa brand. It was the brand-orientation era, if you will.
“There is not going to be another Bob Mondavi and there’s not going to be another Tchelistcheff,” Andy continued. “There are 400 wineries here now when Bob started there was like 30-and it (the Napa Valley wine industry) has gotten to be too many and too diffused, and the world is now too complicated.
“Now I think most people would say that the thing you really need to make great wines is the vineyards, so the new icon here is the vineyards.” Certainly there are differences between the two
men, but will Andy Beckstoffer replace Mondavi? Has he already? To more than one of the Valley’s growers, the concept of Beckstoffer’s ascension strikes a “why not?” chord, while others, though Beckstoffer admirers, are more reticent. Here’s what they a few of them had to say.
Bruce Phillips, president of Napa Valley Grape Growers: “Andy certainly has the per- spective of where this valley has come from and what its potential is going to be. He shares that with his predecessor, Mondavi, although Andy has a different perspective on the industry. Mon- davi certainly led with the promise of the Napa Valley Appellation making fine wines that are recognized the world over and then followed with the wines being made from that appellation. But you have to start with raw ingredients and those are grapes.”

Tom Renaldi, Provenance Vineyards: “Andy is on a different level. He is the biggest promoter I know for Rutherford certainly and for his vine- yards. The Napa Valley itself? In the world today that’s big, big shoes. I really respect and admire Andy. I’ve had a long good relationship with him.

I think he’s done me much more good than I could have hoped, but Mondavi was a world figure and a pioneer. A legend! Boy, I hope Andy’s up to that. He is somebody I would not have immediately pictured, but maybe it’s because I’m too close to the whole thing. Then you have to kind of scratch your head and say ‘Who else?””

Randy Snowden, Napa Valley Grapegrowers: “The answer, I think, is yes. The fact is he already is and has been for some time, because he is connected to the heart and soil that make up this valley. Andy has been a leading spokesperson since I can remember. Robert Mondavi was a colorful and gift- ed man, but there was room for other basic leaders in the val- ley. And Andy’s one of them if you are talking about a pro- ponent for what we call terroir, which you need to bring grapes to market that represent the Napa Valley- and then tying that to the importance of preserving the Valley agriculture, as opposed to (the Mondavi-fostered) powerful wine brands. In my book Andy always has been the leader and the most influ- ential voice out there.”

It’s hard to imagine where the Valley’s wine industry would be today without Andy Beckstoffer. Consider this: In 1970 – the year he came here – an acre of Napa Valley land could be bought for $4,000. Today, that same acre would cost between $150,000 and a quarter-million dollars. And, need we add, going up all the time.
By bringing a new paradigm to the vineyard, Beckstoffer has had a lot to do with this astronomical spike in land value. As much, perhaps, as Robert Mondavi had in elevating the prestige of Napa Valley wines.
“It’s gone crazy,” Andy acknowledges. “What’s happened is that the value of land is beginning to reflect the price of the wine, which, in turn, is reflected in the price of the grapes. As the price of wine continues to go up, the price of grapes and the price of land will continue to go up.” The Valley’s premier wines are priced at $200 to $300 a bottle presently, but Beckstoffer doesn’t discount the possibility that the prices may one day approach the $600 to $700 bottle price of European wines. “A (price) saturation point? I don’t know,” he said.
As one of the world’s most important growers, Beckstoffer’s 10 vine- yards occupy more than 1,000 acres of the finest grape-growing soil in Napa, Mendocino and Lake counties. Among his holdings are some of the most historic vineyards, most notably the 550-acre To Kalon, an area, it is claimed, that produces the best Bordeaux varietal wine grapes in California and maybe the world.
It’s fair to say that the changes wrought in the Valley over the last quarter-century are largely attributable to what the man from Virginia brought to the table.
“When we came to the Napa Valley, there were, as I recall, only two trained professional viticulturists,” Beckstoffer said. “Growers here were farmers then, not trained viticulturists. We brought four. My per- sonal background was as an engineer. What we wanted to do was exper- iment and look at new things.”
Those “new things” included items such as:

• Drip irrigation technology from Israel, which became the bedrock of the Carneros Appellation one of the few viticultural districts whose wines display a proven and distinct style.
  Beckstoffer: “We put it in the vineyards in Carneros in 1971. If it had- n’t been for irrigation you could never have developed Carneros.”
• More efficient vine spacing than the 8-foot by 12-foot between the vines and the rows that was standard 25 years ago.
  Spacing then was based on the amount of water available. Learning that the spacing was established by Dr. Albert J. Winkler, the man gen- erally regarded as the father of California viticulture, Beckstoffer con- ferred with him at the Oakville (UC Davis) test station. He had to con- vince Winkler he could develop the additional vines and secure the nec- essary equipment for closer spacing. Then, recalled Beckstoffer, Win- kler said, “I think you ought to try it.”
• Bench grafting.
  Beckstoffer: “It used to be that when you planted a vineyard you put a rootstock in and in the mud and the rain you budded it. Some people started doing benchgrafting in the nursery on a bench. With field bud- ding you might get a 60 percent take; with bench grafting you might get 95 percent.”

The hand that Beckstoffer has had in shaping the Napa Valley wine industry goes far beyond new technology.
As a founder of the Napa Valley Grapegrowers, he led the movement to protect and preserve agriculture and grape-growing as a viable busi- ness for all of Northern California. His main purpose, he said, has been to “increase the economic, political and social status of the grape-grow- er… to make him a first-class citizen.
“In doing that I think the whole Valley is stronger because you have strength in numbers and we all work together,” he said.
“From 1971 to 1981 we had a contract with the United Farm Workers and lots of people said ‘fight those people they’re union people,’ and we said ‘No, they’re our people who are represented by a union and the status of a farmworker is something that we need to consider.”””
He is satisfied that growers and vintners are now on a “pretty much even basis.” But he added, “Some people have fought the farmworkers and continue to fight the farmworkers and you know who they are. But most of us have adopted them as our people, who are very impor- tant to the operations and the quality of the wine.”
Beckstoffer also took a lead role in resolving hang-time disagreements between growers and wineries. At issue was the extended period at har- vest when the grapes are mature but beginning to gain sugar that converts to high alcohol versus less tonnage and a loss of revenues for growers. “This is a conversation that has been going on around here for a con- siderable amount of time-from 2000 on,” he said. As Beckstoffer sees it, the task was to get the argument “out of the coffee shops into the open and (in) professional conversations.”
His means was a series of seminars bringing both sides together with international experts such as Richard Smart, and UC Davis scientists. Although conventional belief was that the seminar “was going to be a fight,” Andy recalled, instead it led to grower-winery agreement that solutions needed to be worked out mutually for a common problem.
“Nobody has the answer yet,” said Beckstoffer, “but I think everybody is working toward getting wines that are full-flavored with less alcohol. What you’re going to see, I think, is winemak- ers will get more restrained and elegant wines and hopefully get the alcoholic content down.”

Beckstoffer speaks positively of how- the Valley has developed in his nearly four decades here.

“You’ve got 400 wineries here. When I came here there were six big ones,” he said. “They understand about the quality, they understand about marketing and you’ve got strong organizations now the Grape Growers Association and, hopefully, the (Napa Valley) Land Trust … People don’t realize there is more land under conservation than there is in the vineyards (10 percent versus 9 percent).
“So, one of real hallmarks of this place is conservation and there are really strong organizations to make that happen, which you didn’t have years ago. I feel very good about the Napa Valley.”

In the course of an interview, the range of topics that Andy Beckstoffer can cover is unlimited. Witness the following: The shifting of the center of the wine region from the Napa Valley to Mendocino County because of global warming.

“That’s just a lot of conversation. You have to look at it on a global basis. The state of California is too small a region to con- sider that some of it will have climate changes.

“If you talk about the effects on us here, as it gets generally wanner you’re going to get more fog coming in, which makes the Napa Valley cooler. The temperature goes up, but it’s night-time temperatures. Higher temperature at night does some good in terms of flavor development.

“The Vintners Association is now doing some serious surveying to accumulate data as to what’s happening in climate change. Anything else is just pure speculation. Who knows? But the idea of the center changing from Napa to Mendocino is baloney.”

•The diminished economy’s effect on the Valley.

“Most of the vineyards here are pretty well capitalized, not just the wineries. But with the weak dollar our workers are going to have trouble getting credit The people who work for me and the people who live here have all got to be affected by this. We don’t have any problems borrowing the money we need; were in pretty good shape. But many people hi the Valley are very much affected. Plus, with the weak dollar, you have Europeans coming in with very cheap dollars. So, just hike you’ve seen elsewhere, you can expect that there’s going to be more Europeans buying property here.”

•The differences in wine made from grapes grown in high vs. low elevations.

“In the Napa Valley you’re farming at about 100 feet above sea level. On Mt. Veeder and in Lake County we are farming at about 2,000 feet. When you get to that height the barometric pressures are different. In Lake County you don’t have the fog, so you get longer days and also Lake County doesn’t get the heat spikes that we do here. You have some very definite climatic situations at differ- ent elevations that you do not have on the Valley floor. It affects grape quality, but you don’t want to say that one is a good quality and one is a bad quality — it’s just a different grape.”

•The future for biodynamic growing in the United States.

“I’m not into it, but I think biodynam- ics is the right direction. We should be looking at more environmentally sensi- tive and more natural ways of growing. We, ourselves, are becoming more envi- ronmentally sensitive all the time, using more natural fertilizers and pesticides. We’ve been doing that for a long time in Mendocino County with organic vine- yards and we’re converting all of our Lake County operations to organics. The difference between organic and not organic is probably just one chemical: Round-Up.”

•Why, despite thefact that he produces some of the best grapes, he elects to sup- ply wineries – – 50 of them at the moment— but not add winemaking to his operations.

“Some people’s goal is to create a great wine, but we’ve always been oriented to being good stewards of the land. I like farming, I like being around the land. The winery business from the point of view of management is not a logical extension of growing grapes. We buy vineyards as a real estate business and a farming busi- ness. We don’t manufactureanything and were not interested in the marketing busi- ness. It’s a totally different thing.

“Like I’ve said so often, just because you can grow wheat doesn’t mean you can sell cereal. When they write my obit- uary or whatever the hell it is, we want to be seen as stewards of the land, not sell- ing the best wine. We want to leave this place less at risk for future generations than we found it.”

Recently, an editorial in the Napa Valley Register reported on Camino, a new restaurant in Oakland, California-awarded three stars by the San Francisco Chronicle where there are no wines from Napa Valley on the list. In the 1990s, California wine as a whole, and Napa Valley in particular, had dominated restaurant wine lists. Ten years ago, it would have been unusual to open a restaurant in northern California without Napa Valley wines on the list. The Napa Valley Register didn’t question what had changed-other than the sommeliers-but rather asked what locals could or should do to gain back the lost ground.
We decided to ask sommeliers. What interests them in Napa Valley? What is rele- vant to their own tastes and what is relevant to their business-to the tastes of their cus- tomers? To find out, we invited Wine & Spir- its’ Best New Sommeliers (October 2008) to help us design a dream tour of Napa Valley. Four of the five could wrangle the time off, and sent us their wish list of the places they’d most like to visit. Meanwhile, we con- tacted four local Napa Valley sommeliers for the advice they would give to their visiting peers. In addition to providing tips on the most interesting new projects, two of them joined us for all the winery visits.
We sorted through the wish lists and then bounced some ideas off two veteran somme- liers in the Napa Valley. Chris Blanchard, who recently left his post as sommelier at Redd in Yountville to join Chappellet, sug- gested that Realm was making “the most intense, concentrated yet balanced wines in the valley,” including a cabernet from Andy Beckstoffer’s To Kalon Vineyard. That vine- yard connection came up on several wish lists: to see Fred Schrader, who produces a cabernet from Beckstoffer’s To Kalon. Another sug- gested a visit to Robert Mondavi, another to Opus One, both of which produce wines from the Mondavi portion of the To Kalon vineyard. Rob Renteria of Martini House in St. Helena put it all together when he noted, “Everyone is buying and bragging about To Kalon fruit. What’s the hype?” We scheduled a To Kalon tasting for 2 pm of day two, and booked a conference room at Meadowood with Rom Toulon, the wine director who helped us organize the tasting attended by fourteen. winemakers, eight sommeliers, and two Beck- stoffers. According to Andy Beckstoffer, who also helped bring this together, it was one of the most extensive tastings of the To Kalon Vineyard wines. It turned out that Toulon was interested in our program and joined us for several of the winery visits as well.
To Kalon is one of the great historic vine- yard sites in the Napa Valley, so we decided to bracket its central position with tastings at two other historic vineyards-Diamond Creek at the north end of the valley, and Dominus in Yountville to the south. Rente- ria also suggested a visit to one of the crush facilities, “the places where a majority of the small labels make their wine.” We booked in a stop at the Laird Family Custom Crush Facility, as a follow up to the estate vineyard Facility, as a follow up to the estate vineyard at Dominus. He also suggested El Molino- a producer of chardonnay and pinot noir in the heart of cabernet country. Our schedule included visits with Blackbird, Buoncris-
tiani, Palmaz, Quintessa, Seven Stones, Vare and von Strasser, though some of them, inevitably, got cut short.
To finish the two-day Napa Valley marathon, several of the sommeliers had requested a visit to Bond and Harlan. They were eager not only to taste the wines, but also to meet with the general manager, Paul Roberts, formerly the wine director for the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group, including The French Laundry in Yountville. We were all a little curious to talk with a sommelier on the other side of the table.
Here are some impressions from our 48 hours in Napa Valley.

YOUNTVILLE: DOMINUS ESTATE
Dominus is just across Highway 29 from the town of Yountville, an ideal spot to draw in tourists as they head up valley.
But due to a restrictive use permit, Dominus is not open to the public and the building’s only reception area is designed for grapes. There is, in fact, no formal entrance, only a wide hall exiting out to the vineyard. The building is a simple rectangle constructed from stacked wire gabions filled with local stone. The rectangular center hall frames the vineyard to the west, where it rises gently up to the foothills of the Mayacamas.
The placement of that even slope at the base of the hills appealed to Christian Moueix, of J.P. Moueix in Libourne, when he was scouting out property in the Napa Val- ley. Robert Mondavi introduced him to Robin Lail and Marcia Smith, the daughters of John Daniel, Jr., whose family had farmed this land as part of their Inglenook estate. What started as a joint venture in 1982
ended up as Moueix’s project in 1995; he later built the winery in 1997 and his team, now led by Tod Mostero, continues to explore the details of the vineyard, both above and below ground.
Tod Mostero and director Julia Levitan spent most of their time with the sommeliers describing the vineyard, which on the surface would seem to be one of the simplest, most consistent terroirs in the Napa Valley. Mos- tero went so far as to get out a large easel and draw the hills, the hard pan under the vines, and the material in the soil that leads the roots down to that impenetrable rock. The run-off from the hills left larger stones at the top of the vineyard, and more densely packed, finer soils further down slope. He described the character of the wine from the vines higher up the slope as lighter, with an elegant, fruity character. The blocks closer to Highway 29, with shallow, densely packed silt and clay soil, give a more tannic and powerful wine.
Mostero had decanted several wines two hours before our tasting. The current release is 2005, a wine that showed significantly more elegance and red fruit when tasted several months earlier, now sitting in the blackness of its tannin. James Darden has it on the list at Angèle in Napa, where, he says, “Guests are looking for that power. Some consumers just want instant gratification. What would be more appropriate is a young vintage of Napanook. What they want is Dominus.”
Napanook, made from younger vines at the estate, was showing its share of power as a young wine as well, in this case, from the warmer 2004 vintage. But with a few more years in bottle, the structure had eased up on the 2001 Napanook, framing the fruit so it felt luscious and sleek.
Andrew McNamara, MS, of Phillip’s Point Club by The Breakers in Palm Beach, noted that the ’01 Napanook was more advanced than the same vintage of Dominus, describing the aromas of tobacco, leather and dried grass. “It still has fruit, but this is when I’d want to drink Napanook. The 2001 Dominus tastes like it has forever to go. There’s an alcohol punch to it, and some cedary tobacco begin- ning to show through with dark fruits. Noch- ing is overpowering. It’s silky, perfectly balanced. The Napanook is good, but if some- one is coming in for an amazing experience, the Dominus is going to give it, right now.”
The sommeliers were also impressed by the 1991, which includes 19 percent cabernet franc, the highest proportion of that variety for any vintage of Dominus. The franc aug- ments the silky texture of this wine, as well as its rich tobacco scents. For Doug Marello of L20 in Chicago, this wine brought to mind a braised short ribs preparation at the restaurant, where the chef cooks them slowly sous vide. McNamara suggested an alterna- tive sous-vide preparation at The Breakers, veal with black truffles and braised romaine.
“We keep the traditional classic Napa Valley wines on the list,” McNamara said, “but whatever Dominus we get in, it sells.”

OAK KNOLL: LAIRD CUSTOM CRUSH Nearly 40 years ago, Ken Laird, a third- generation tobacco farmer turned mechanical engineer, bought a 70 acre parcel of prune trees in Calistoga. He worked out a deal with Robert Mondavi, who agreed to finance his vineyard under the pre- condition that he plant half of it to gamay. With demand for Laird’s fruit rising, the family continued to buy land and now owns 2,000 acres of valley floor vines.
In the early ’90s Ken noticed the business changing. Brands and their winemakers weren’t entering long-term contracts with their growers. Fearing that Napa growers would not be able to sell all their fruit, he set plans in motion for a large winery to make and sell bulk wine. Coincidently, he picked up a design for the winery that Christian Moueix had turned down for Dominus, expanding the original plans by three times and breaking original plans by three times and breaking ground on the building in 1998. Before the winery’s completion, winemakers like Paul
Hobbs and brands like Merryvale expressed interest in using the facility to make their own wine. “Just like that,” said Rebecca Laird, “we went from a collaborative of growers to a facility for brands.”
The Lairds offer custom-crush clients a base price for “standard winemaking proce- dures. Each client hires a consulting wine- maker and provides fruit, barrels and bottling supplies. The winemaker gives a work order to be carried out by Laird’s team. If a client wants anything above and beyond the “standard” winemaking, they pay an additional fee. As Yoon Ha, of La Toque in Napa, explained, “You can show up with a recipe and then come back and pick up your finished wine.” They found an efficient way to commercialize cult winemaking.
Rebecca Laird, the general manager, navi- gated us through the 250 fermentation tanks where the chaos of crush was in full swing as crews were moving fruit, sorting grapes and pumping over wine. She introduced us to Celia Masyczek, who makes wine for six of Laird’s 62 clients, and who gave us a taste from some D.R. Stephens ’08 cabernet barrels. The wines had not yet gone through malolactic fermenta- tion, and they were veiled by tannin and sharp acidity. There was a strong core of ripe red cur- rantlike fruit that will eventually take center stage. But at the moment, as Doug Marello noted, “They showed the barrel in a big way, lots of coffee and mocha.”
The sommeliers were interested in the business side of winemaking. As Ha noted, “It’s a built-in system that’s decipherable. You pay a price and get a good result.”
Ian Cauble, of Jardinière in San Francisco, believes the system enables more producers to put quality wines on the market. “It’s great for people who want to spend more money in a vineyard, where it’s important, and not neces- sarily invest in a winery. They have a huge support team watching over the wines… There are a lot of great wines coming out of Laird.” Among his favorites are Scarecrow, Corra and D.R. Stephens by Celia Masyczek, and Selene and Chesler by Mia Klein.
Meeting Masyczek also gave the somme- liers some perspective. She talked passionately about her wine, still out of breath from a morning tending to vineyards and battling with someone who she said was “liberating fruit in rows grown for [my clients]. In a year like this…someone wanted to make up for lost crop weight.”
Beyond winemaking, she’s also clearly active in the vineyard, literally fighting for her grapes. As McNamara said, in the midst of the work orders, the tanks and the barrels, “The wine is still somebody’s passion and soul.”

DIAMOND MOUNTAIN: DIAMOND CREEK At Diamond Creek, the story of Al Broun- stein’s creative merger of French sensi- bility with California culture seemed ideally crafted for sommeliers. Broun- stein’s widow, Boots, and his stepson, Phil Ross, now run the property, and gave the his- tory of how the vineyard came to be. After taking a class in French wine at UCLA, Brounstein worked crush at Ridge, where he picked up on mountain-grown cabernet. He
visited Bordeaux and spoke directly with the workers in the vineyards to learn how they farmed, then he made arrangements with two first-growth châteaux for cuttings, which he smuggled into California from Mexico.
Several local legends in Napa Valley advised him on his site selection, including André Tchelistcheff and Louis Martini, who liked the red soils at the old Bonsell Ranch because they reminded him of Monte Rosso. When he and Boots propagated their Bor- deaux cuttings and planted them on Diamond Mountain in 1968, it was the first cabernet- only estate in California and the first planting of vinifera on Diamond Mountain (pre-Prohi- bition vineyards there had been mission. grapes). In a further nod to French traditions, Brounstein decided to farm his small estate by soil type, to make and present the wine sepa- rately, following the model of a top Burgundy estate. This was a radical decision at the time, and even today, with hundreds of vineyard- designated wines on the market, there are not many California estates structured like Dia- mond Creek. In a nod to Americana, Boots directly north of Diamond Creek’s Volcanic Hill. The ’91 was earthy and round, with a mature sweetness that mingled with the funk of Brett. Von Strasser allowed as how he had wres- tled with Brettanomyces in the cellar through the ’90s, but had since resolved it. The 2001 had the kind of vibrancy that Brett would have diminished, and luscious dark fruit.
D’Lynn Proctor of Wine Tastic in Dallas responded to that wine, plus the earthier, older bottlings from ’97 and ’94, describing them as “classically French. The depth and complexity of black currant, smoke, cedar and pencil shavings remind me of St-Estèphe,” he said. “These older von Strasser cabernets retain acidity to balance the earthiness and dried fruit-they really speak to me.”
Ian Cauble commented on the tannic struc- ture of the wines, describing them as soft and feminine: “They’re not the type of cabernets that will knock you over the head.”
Brounstein tours visitors around the vineyards in a golf cart designed after a 1970s Cadillac.
Ross poured a 1999 Gravelly Meadow that sent James Darden into a glass-hugging soliloquy. “When I first started as a somme- lier, it was all about what we call ‘nose hits.’ We’d just sit there and smell the wine-it was all about the bouquet.” The Diamond Creek delivered a cool, riveting aroma that a sommelier might keep stashed in a glass to smell all through service. But here, Darden had the luxury of tasting the wine as well, and he commented on “the quench factor” in both the ’99 and ’05. As Ross noted, “The coolness we get in the afternoon-cool air from the west is important for the pH and acid development.” Gravelly Meadow cools down first, being the westernmost of the main plantings.
Yoon Ha focused on the structure of the 2005 Volcanic Hill, from the south-facing slope of white volcanic ash. “It’s built differ- ently,” he said. “The gauging is fine. Not a broad, wide stance. This is more perfumed, more high toned.”
Andrew McNamara focused on the min- erality in the ’05 Red Rock Terrace, a wine that carries its earthiness right in the aroma. Though Ross had decanted these wines two hours before our arrival, they were still tight and powerful. Several of the sommeliers list older vintages of Diamond Creek, as the wines are suited to age.

DIAMOND MOUNTAIN: VON STRASSER
Next door, at von Strasser’s estate vine- yard around the old Bonsell ranch house, the wines tend to be more accessible. Rudy von Strasser also has a Bordeaux connec- tion, having apprenticed at Château Lafite before settling on Diamond Mountain. As the driving force behind the establishment of a Diamond Mountain AVA, he gave the group a brief on the lay of the land. We spent some time at the foot of his vineyard tasting grapes while he described how he’s looking for chewy tannins in his wines. “I get that through pick- ing at the right time and through extended maceration,” he says, explaining that when tasting grapes, “I get rid of the sugar and chew the skins-try to watch how the tannins are developing.”
Von Strasser has built his business as a farmer as well as a winemaker, working with his own estate vineyards as well as other parcels within the district. He blends a Diamond Mountain District Cabernet and selects his best lots for vineyard designates, such as the ’05 Rainin, a northeast-facing slope that yields a violet-scented cabernet, or the plumper, richer ’05 Estate Vineyard Cabernet.
Deep in his caves under the mountain, von Strasser poured several older vintages from the Estate Vineyard, including his second vintage, the 1991. A portion of this wine had come from Norm Kiken’s Reverie Vineyard, another piece of the Bonsell Ranch, west of von Strasser and
“The funny thing is,” von Strasser responded, “people will ask if your wines will age well. If
you say it’s ready to drink now, they won’t buy it. But if you tell them to age it twenty years, they take it home and drink it tonight.”
Von Strasser also poured a new wine he’s making from a half-acre of grüner veltliner vines. He picked the ’07 at 22.5″ Brix-“I like a lot of acidity,” he said-and bottled it with a glass stopper. It has the lima bean flavor of the grape, along with an earthiness, both there when we tasted the random bunches that had been left on the vines after harvest. His two Labradors joined us and each found an end row to munch on the sweet, unpicked grapes.

NAPA: UBUNTU
Napa Valley has become so centered on cabernet sauvignon that grüner veltliner would seem an odd variety to plant. But there was once a lot of diversity in the valley’s vines, and perhaps, there may be greater diver- sity again in the future. In addition to von Strasser’s grüner veltliner, we tasted a ribolla gialla from Vare, a dolcetto from Pavi and a viognier from Gemella. We sampled all of those wines with dinner at Ubuntu, where chef Jeremy Fox offered a range of vegetarian dishes to accompany them. His burata with mission figs, piquillo peppers and arugula matched the viognier. “The bitterness of the arugula gives the wine a place to go,” said Yoon Ha. A fin- gerling potato salad with sauce gribiche, black garlic coulee and ice plant matched the ribolla, in the same way the variety works so well with a Friulian salad of polpo e patate. And the chef’s signature cauliflower in a cast-iron pot, with a curry fenugreek base and cauliflower couscous matched the rosy floral character of the dolcetto. Cabernet sauvignon would have been lost with this food, and yet the food is some of the best in Napa Valley.

ST. HELENA: EL MOLINO
Lily and Jon Berlin farm 68 acres at Star Vineyards in Rutherford. Though they sell most of their cabernet sauvignon and chardon- nay, they grow 12 acres of pinot noir and chardonnay for their own label. They truck the grapes north of St. Helena, where Lily’s father, Reg Oliver, had excavated a collapsed 1871 cellar to house their El Molino wines. While living in New York, Oliver, a Burgundy lover, Molino Molin was floored when he tasted the Rutherford pinot noirs André Tchelistcheff had produced in the ’40s at Beaulieu and several from John Daniel, Jr., at Inglenook as well. In ’87, he purchased Star Vineyards, located between the same two parcels that had inspired him years earlier, and he converted six acres of cabernet to pinot noir.
We eventually found our way to their secluded winery after a couple of passes, miss- ing the unmarked dirt road off Highway 29. There are no multi-story fermentation tanks at El Molino, only five square, unjacketed, one- ton fermenters and a small, one-ton press sit- ting outside amidst the pines. The equipment surrounds a two-inch hole in the ground the Berlins use to gravity feed juice into the cellar.
Lily led us down below to taste samples of two ’07 pinot noir blocks from François Frères barrels (she was proud to be using the same cooper as the Domaine de la Romanée Conti). The young wines were crystal clear expressions of their red cherry fruit, the second (from slightly older vines) showing a little more bar- rel influence. From there we walked over to the new cellar (constructed in ’91). The sparkling acidity from the barrel samples had our mouths watering as Lily and Jon poured their ’99 and ’93 chardonnays as well as their ’05, ’99, and ’95 pinot noirs.
When planning our trip, Rob Renteria sparked our curiosity by mentioning El Molino: “A producer of only Burgundian varietals in the heart of cabernet sauvignon country.” The wines
showed their fruit well, and set the sommeliers off into comparisons with Meursault, Pommard, even La Tache. The pinot noirs all flaunted vibrant red cherry notes going all the way back to ’95. Clove and a touch of cinnamon provided some spice and as the wines got older, Doug Marello said, “the extra years in bottle gave them some Burgundian funk.”
In a later discussion of the visit, Andrew McNamara commented, “The most eye open- ing part of the trip is the combination of qual- ity and age-ability of chardonnay and pinot noir in Napa Valley. Before visiting El Molino, I never really bought many Sonoma pinots or Napa chards in quantities where they would age on my list.”
Marello added, “I think the wines are defi- nitely California-there’s ripe fruit-but they are made in an Old-World style.” He also noted, “I love how they’ve developed. The wines haven’t fallen apart at all. They’re just complex…and romantic.”

OAKVILLE: TO KALON VINEYARD
H.W. Crabb established the Hermosa Vineyard on the prime benchlands of western Oakville in 1868. He named his winery To Kalon, and the vineyard eventually took on the same name. Robert Mondavi gained control of a significant portion of the vineyard in 1966, and as he expanded his adja- cent landholdings, he and his company called what is now 600 acres To Kalon. The Mondavi portion of the original property is a U-shaped parcel, its base against the hills, its arms touching Highway 29. Nested within that parcel is a property that had belonged to Beaulieu Vineyards, part of Heublein in the 1960s where Andrew Beckstoffer, a young MBA, started his career. When Beaulieu’s owners sold off a portion of their vineyard land, Beckstoffer purchased the parcel in 1993. He began selling grapes to a range of small producers who were willing to pay him based on the price they achieved per bottle, rather than sticking to a per-acre cost.
Twenty-two producers now purchase grapes from Beckstoffer To-Kalon, twelve of whom convened at Meadowood with samples of their current cabernets. Andy Beckstoffer and his son, David, joined what Beckstoffer believed to be one of the most comprehensive tastings of all the contemporary wines made from this historic vineyard. Michael Salacci, winemaker at Opus One, brought two vin- tages of his wine, which comes in large part from Mondavi’s To Kalon Vineyard. And Genevieve Janssens, winemaker at Robert
Mondavi Winery, brought three wines-the Fumé Blanc Reserve, which is all old-vine To Kalon sauvignon blanc, as well as the Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon and the Reserve, both substantially To Kalon in the blends. Janssens has worked with To Kalon fruit on and off since 1978, when she started as a lab assistant at Mondavi; she was director of production at Opus One in ’89 and then at Robert Mondavi since ’97.
Mondavi Reserve is 65 percent To Kalon fruit, from the southwestern corner of the property, near Martha’s Vineyard. Janssens says it comes from the blocks on the two allu- vial fans that spread out from the hills. Some of the vines date to 1945, including the Monastery Block, where Janssens says “the grapes are like tiny jewels.” Mondavi dry farms these old vines, which yield concentrated cabernet. Janssens describes its characteristic scent: “Thyme, rosemary, black olive-I call it the garrigue effect,” she says, referring to the scent of the hills in southwest France that often finds its way into the local wines. “There’s a complex profile of fruit, with so much body and structure. It’s assertive, yet tender at the same time.”
Several of the winemakers working with Beckstoffer To Kalon advanced similar descrip- tions of the texture and structure of their wines. Claus Janzen described it as “a profound tex- ture that can’t compare to wines from other vineyards in the valley.” And Tor Kenward said the difference was “not the acid, not the pH. It’s the flesh.” Beckstoffer irrigates his vines at To Kalon, with a different farming philosophy than at Mondavi. “You wouldn’t want to dry farm a vineyard like To Kalon,” he asserts, and believes that because the soil is well drained, “you need irrigation or the leaves will fall off.” Irrigation provides greater control over ripen- ing, and extended ripening, which ties into the contemporary style of rich Napa Valley caber- net. “Our goal is to get less sugar accumulation and greater flavor development.”
Different clients work with Beckstoffer to catch that flavor development at their own optimal moment. Tom Rinaldi of Provenance, who produced a sleek and perfumed 2004, says the vineyard’s ripening window is less than 72 hours. “You don’t want to turn your back on To 2005 shared that classic cabernet sauvignon profile. The TOR also had some of the com- plexity that Janssens had described, with touches of black olive and floral scents.
Other wines with floral high tones included the Carter 2002 and the Realm 2005. The Realm, in fact, was one of the most elegant wines of the tasting, with freshness that kept its structure firm and lively. Doug Marello thought there was something about the wine that was different, and he described it as an herbal element to Juan Mercado of Realm. Before Mercado could fully respond, Kurt Venge asked him pointedly, ‘Aren’t you get- ting that fruit from close to the trees?’ To his Kalon,” he’s found. “I’ve been there twice in at day at harvest time. Things can change pretty rapidly. The vines are stressed out.”
Margo Singleton, whose MX bottling from To Kalon was among the ripest, blueberry- scented 2005 wines, said, “The last thing any- one wants to do is pick To Kalon too early.” A number of the Beckstoffer To Kalon wines. took this stylistic direction, with an emphasis on richness in cabernets from Paul Hobbs (who makes Vice Versa), and from Kurt Venge who consults for Janzen.
Several of the winemakers lobbied Beck- stoffer during the tasting not to rip out the shy-bearing Clone 6. A cabernet sauvignon clone isolated through experiments at Beaulieu Vineyards, wines made primarily from this clone showed a beautifully pure black currant flavor-both the Schrader 2005 and the TOR
credit, Mercado responded calmly with the facts: “We drop that fruit before harvest. None of the shaded rows near the trees go into the final blend.”
Later, Marello acknowledged how he’d been rattled by the exchange. “I thought I was saying I liked the wine,” he explained. Andrew McNamara had also been taken aback. “There’s a huge difference between calling a wine herbal and calling it green,” he said. “Herbal does not carry a negative connota- tion.” It is, in fact, a varietal marker for caber- net sauvignon, as is black currant. Blueberry, on the other hand, is a sign of super ripe fruit, a level of ripeness that often blurs the distinc- tions of wines grown at a particular vineyard (and so diminishes the real value of a vineyard designation). McNamara commented on the purity of fruit in the wines, but the purple
ripeness makes him cautious.
Curiously, there was no discussion of food pairing during the To Kalon tasting. “It was more a symposium about a beautiful place in Napa Valley,” said Ian Cauble. “Oakville Napa Valley floor cabernet at its finest.” These are wines built as icons, meant to stand alone.

OAKVILLE: BOND
“Harlan has never been about black fruit,” Don Weaver says. “It’s been about foresty ele- ments.” Harlan and Bond, Bill Harlan’s project featuring a range of sites in Napa Valley, was the most requested visit among the somme- liers. We scheduled it as the last visit, arrang- ing to meet Bond’s new general manager, Paul Roberts, at the end of the day. Longtime Har- lan general manager Don Weaver joined us, as did Bill Harlan.

Most of the sommeliers had been to Harlan before, in a pocket of hills west of Oakville. But they had not yet been up the hill to Bond. We arrived just as the full moon was rising in the east and soft evening light covered the vines across the valley. The same light fell on the sandstone winery, built with block from an old railroad turntable in Carson, Nevada.
The sommeliers already had a strong impression of what Ian Cauble described as Harlan’s “extreme attention to detail, in both the vineyard and the winemaking.” James Darden compared it to the rigorous attention to detail at The French Laundry. And Yoon Ha commented on how Harlan’s sorting table moved so slowly that all the workers were seated around it in chairs.
Roberts described the goal of the Bond project, “to establish a stable of grand crus. The name refers to the bond between the grower and the winemaker. We need people in accord with what we do.” So far, there are four growers with long-term, evergreen contracts; each of the four wines is tied to a vine- yard, but they are bottled with proprietary names rather than vineyard designates. (Roberts explained that they wanted the option of blending in eight to ten percent of fruit from other sites, which puts them over the limit of five percent on vineyard desig- nates.) Melbury is based on the Slawson Vine- yard, on a hill north of Lake Hennessy. St. Eden is from the eight-acre Kramlich Vine- yard, on a knoll off the Oakville Grade, “a piece of the Vaca Range that sloughed off,”
Roberts. Vecina is from Vine Hill, due south of the Harlan Estate. And Pluribus is from a property on Spring Mountain, owned by the Oberndorf family and planted in 2000.
Roberts described the wines in relation to Bordeaux, explaining that it wasn’t the inten- tion behind the wines, but that he’d recently hosted a group from Japan, and they began to grasp the differences in the wines when he related Melbury to a Right Bank wine, “with scents of red currant and violets.” He described
St. Eden as St-Julien, “with roasted black cherry and sage, and fine fruit tannins.” Vecina, on clay soils, gave a “classic, linear, Pauillac style.” And Pluribus, with a pungent character from the volcanic soils, reminded Roberts of Château Montrose, the staunch wine of St-Estèphe.
Roberts had been on the job at Bond for two months, having left his career as wine director for Thomas Keller Restaurant Group. None of the sommeliers, including Roberts, believes that these wines are like Bordeaux. But Bordeaux (or in the case of El Molino, Bur- gundy) provides them with a language that hasn’t fully developed in the New World, one that is far more advanced and specific in describing the nuances of terroir. The French references may describe a style in the Napa Val- ley wines, but they have no bearing on the nature of the site, and how that site may influ- ence the distinct flavors of the wine.
The Bond wines clearly showed differences in regional character within Napa Valley. As Doug Marello noted, “The winemaking is the same on all the wines, and they do taste differ- ent.” Since there is no common language to describe those differences, the discussion turned to quality.
“There’s an extract I don’t find in other wines, a different texture,” McNamara said. “Harlan has a mouth-enveloping texture that I don’t get in any other wine on the planet.”
Later in the evening, Rom Toulon opened a bottle of Krug at the bar at Meadowood and the sommeliers gathered to talk about the past two days. The conversation turned philosophical as we worked back from the visit to Bond.
“Excising every imperfection, you end up with something that’s incredibly pure,” Yoon Ha said. “The Bond and Harlan wines are
There were two tastings going on: The wine- makers’ tasting and the sommeliers’ tasting. For better or worse, the wines were similar in lots of ways other than texture.”
Ian Cauble concurred, noting that many of the To Kalon wines showed a “heavy hand” in winemaking. “Some of the producers used heav- ily toasted barrels,” he said, “and the wines were mostly brown sugar, toffee and butterscotch. Some wines shared an herbal aspect; some had blacker fruit. There’s no way to know what is winemaking and what is terroir. But the density and texture of the best wines is fantastic.”
Overall, Marello said he is more excited about Napa Valley wines after the two-day tour. “We did get to taste some older vintages that showed well. I hadn’t put a lot of focus or hyper perfect. But sometimes wine is not about purity. You’ve lost the vulnerability of human beings we’re not perfect.”
“At one point, my dentist told me he liked my crooked tooth,” Doug Marello responded. “He said he gets bored looking at perfectly braced teeth. For me, the To Kalon tasting was a little overwhelming. The wines are so big and so hot, I was about to pass out.
study time on the wines from California. That’s common among my colleagues in Chicago.”
McNamara found a number of wines more “vineyard and terroir-specific” than he had thought them to be, and found “a lot of great wines that I wasn’t familiar with, wines that blew me away-like El Molino, I had no idea it could age like that. But I think there’s a long way to go. There are extreme schools of thought
about how to make wines in California. There are a lot of wines that are fruit bombs that will be dead in three years. And there’s another group of producers that want their wines to be food-friendly and to age well. And there’s another group that says, ‘Screw it, drink it now.’ I think Napa Valley producers are not necessarily part of the drink-it-now movement, but they are one of the beneficiaries.”

When talking to Andy Beckstoffer about wine, people are torn between wanting to hear his stories about the past and wanting to pry into where we are going in the future. Either way, the conversation is both fun and educational.

The wine industry was different 30 years ago when Beckstoffer first served as president of the Napa Valley Grapegrowers. Napa Valley cabernets sold for $10 to $15, and grape growers were perceived as farmers.
“As growers, we were seen as mere suppliers,” says Beckstoffer, “and we were selling grapes based on sugar
levels and tonnage, not quality.” It was a situation he was deter- mined to change.
At the time, 1976, there was a controversy about the labeling laws that allowed wineries from Napa Valley to source 49% of their fruit else where. Only 51% of the fruit was required to come from the region on the label. Consumers, and Beckstoffer, wanted to raise that ratio to 75%.
“We supported wine con- sumers in their battle,” says Beckstoffer. “In the end we won. It was important for the wine industry because it drew a line in the sand-a commitment to quality and integrity. It made a mark on the international market for Napa Valley.”
Today most experts say great wine is made in the vine- yard more than in the winery. Thus top wineries are very pro- tective of their fruit source.
“Winemakers share a lot of information about how they make wine,” says Beckstoffer, “but they don’t like sharing their grapes. When they get a top-notch vineyard, they don’t want grapes going to competi- tors.”

Voice of an expert
Beckstoffer speaks from experi- ence. In a recent Wine Spectator review of California cabernets, 10 of the top 25 wines came from Andy Beckstoffer-grown grapes.

Key Points

• Andy Beckstoffer, Napa Valley. is influential in wine industry.
• He’s helped change the perception of grape growers.
• Beckstoffer wants growers to be paid by the wine bottle price.

“This hasn’t happened overnight,” he says. “It’s been 35 years in the making, and we’re a long way from done.
“In 1971 we brought drip ir- rigation to Napa Valley, he con- tinues. “We are still looking for ways to grow better grapes: Closer vine spacing, overhead frost protection, new trellis sys- tems, benchgrafts are part of growing great grapes.”
But more than quality fruit is required, says Beckstoffer. “We started farming some vine-
yards organically in the 1980s, he says. “We are careful to be environmentally sensitive. It’s who we are and how we do
business.”

More than a supplier
Beckstoffer also wants grape growers to be paid on the wine bottle price.
“If I grow the best grapes in the world, and they go to a winemaker who is making at wine that sells for $250 a bottle, then I am more than just a sup- plier,” says Beckstoffer. “I am a partner. I’ll give him the very best I can grow. But I will also share in his success. That’s a key part of partnership!”
Another investment is the land. “We bought historic vine- yards in the Napa Valley when others were losing faith,” says Beckstoffer. “It was during the 1990s phylloxera outbreak. Of the 10 vineyards we own, we bought six, including To-Kalon, from wineries who wouldn’t invest. We spent to replant with modern methods, rootstocks, trellises, clones… we rebuilt vineyards with one thing in mind: growing world-class fruit.”
It’s a different way of grape marketing. Instead of selling to corporate wineries that blend grapes for a mass market, Beckstoffer has taken an oppo- site approach.
“We look for winemakers who want to make great wine,” he says. Today more than 50 wine- makers buy fruit from those vineyards, and the number is growing.
“When I hear from a wine- maker who wants to make a great signature wine, I will find time to talk. We want to work with people like that. That’s the future for our kind of agricul- ture,” Beckstoffer says.

The future
“We led seminars in 2004 and 2005 to focus on the issue of high-alcoholic wines,” Beckstoffer notes. “We are still working to find a solution. I think consumers and sommeliers are worried about alcohol levels. Most argue that if we lowered
alcohol and maintained flavor, that is the right direction.
“We have a beautiful place adds. “If we can’t make farming here in the Napa Valley,” he a legitimate, profitable business here, then we’ll succumb to the need for housing. We fought for the Napa ag preserve, and we’re fighting now for conservation easements. But the real battle is to make this business work for the grape grower.”
Wagner is a Napa writer.

After two decades of heavy investment and pioneering work by an infusion of ambitious winegrowers, Lake County – once better known for canoeing than cabernet – is re-launching itself, made over with more thoughtfully sited vineyards and state-of- the-art winemaking facilities. Although the just-north-of-Napa region has enjoyed a solid reputation for Sauvignon Blanc for a few decades, it was also known for uneven Cabernet Sauvignon and other reds. New plantings coming on line in the high-altitude Red Hills of Lake County and High Valley AVAS are already producing some head-turning wines, especially Cabernet Sauvignon.
Grapegrowing in Lake County dates to the 1880s when the first commercial winery was developed there by David Voight. By 1920, there were some 10,000 acres under vine in the valley and hillsides surrounding Clear Lake. Then, during Prohibition, most of the vineyards were replaced with pear and walnut orchards, which, though they don’t reliably produce bumper crops in the relatively infertile volcanic soils that dominate Lake County, are still a common sight.
In the late 1960s, vineyard plantings surged again, but that didn’t mean that growers had gotten it right. Too often, grapes were planted in the wrong places; for example, cabernet was planted near the lake where it developed weedy, green flavors and tarnished the region’s reputation. For example, the low-lying Guenoc Valley, at Lake County’s southern end, is one area that many believe is less than ideal for planting many of the varieties that were started there.
These early missteps were corrected in the 1990s, when the potential of the high ridges bordering the lake was first explored. A new generation of expert growers discovered ideal conditions for cultivating red grapes in the well-drained, red volcanic soils of the area now known as the Red Hills of Lake County AVA, situated at the southwestern corner of Clear Lake, and in the High Valley AVA overlooking the lake’s eastern shore.

Clear Lake, with 110 miles of shoreline, is the largest body of water located entirely within California. (Lake Tahoe, while slightly bigger and much deeper, straddles the California-Nevada border.) Clear Lake’s comparatively shallower, warmer waters make it popular in the summer months with recreational bathers, boaters and fishermen. And while the lake is presently the county’s bigger tourist draw, according to Jim Fetzer, that’s poised to change.

After the Fetzer family sold its Mendocino County-based brand to Brown- Forman in 1992 for a reported $80 million, Fetzer, one of California’s earliest advocates of sustainable, organic and biodynamic viticulture, was eager to reinvest in winegrowing – his family’s life’s work. His prerequisites were finding a parcel of land suitable for both progressive biodynamic viticulture (natural farming techniques proscribed by Austrian philosopher Rudolph Steiner that disallow artificial pesticides or chemical fertilizers, and require following the lunar cycle to organically grow an array of plants and husband animals within the confines of a biodiverse estate), and ideal for hosting environmentally conscious wine tourists.
Eventually, he settled on a breathtaking, 163-acre lakefront parcel and established Ceàgo del Lago there in 2001. To date, 50 acres of Demeter-certified biodynamically farmed vineyards-in which sheep graze on cover crops – have been planted to (in roughly descending order) cabernet sauvignon, syrah, sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, malbec, cabernet franc and muscat canelli; with lakefront space dedicated to a few acres of lavender that is harvested and distilled for its essential oils. The diverse estate is centered around a Spanish-style hacienda winery, two guest casitas, a restaurant and event space (see “Ceàgo del Lago” box on page 43). Walking into the Spanish compound and hearing the piped-in bossa nova music, you might find yourself craving a margarita before your Sauvignon Blanc.
Lake County’s lower areas are actually best known for Sauvignon Blanc, and Ceàgo, under the hand of winemaker Javier Tapa, turns out a nice one; its 2007 Del Lago Kathleen’s Vineyard ($16) is fresh and citrusy with a pleasing plumpness. A 2007 Del Lago Dijon Clones Chardonnay ($20) offers full, generous flavors of apple and lemon curd nuanced with minerals and earth. The 2007 Muscat Canelli ($24) is a moderately sweet, vintage-dated frizzante white with lime, peach and apricot flavors, 8 percent alcohol and 8 percent residual sugar that flies out of the tasting room; it enjoys a steady retail and restaurant following, too. “It’s the perfect breakfast-in-bed wine,” notes Fetzer’s son Barney.
Although Ceàgo’s lakefront locale is not typically viewed as an ideal location for red varieties, biodynamic farming practices, careful selection of rootstocks and clones, and Jim Fetzer’s wealth of grapegrowing experience have done much to offset any climatic and geologic disadvantages. Ceàgo’s inaugural 2005 red wine releases taste as promising as the whites (see “Tasting Bar,” page 42), and are prime examples of how depth of experience among Lake County’s modern-era winegrowers is improving and elevating Lake County reds.
Ceàgo del Lago is still in a growth phase, yet the postcard-perfect lakeside complex is exactly the type of winery destination that Lake County needed to begin drawing wine tourists north of Napa Valley.
Clear Lake, like Lake Tahoe, is a relatively high-altitude basin, sitting as it does at 1,326 feet above sea level. The whole region is lifted, too, because it is here in Lake County that the Mayacama and Vaca ranges that run parallel up through Napa Valley (on the west and east, respectively) merge. In fact, two tectonic plates, the Pacific and the North American, come together here as well: The former thrusts over the latter, which results in the area’s bubbling sulfur springs and mountain lakes, and also a large, now-dormant volcano, Mt. Konocti, which, when active, was the source of the region’s distinctive red soil and rich obsidian deposits.
Konocti was this region’s Vesuvius, showering the terrain with inorganic soils and black pyroclastic glass deposits. Growers have reported running into car- size, solid blocks of the resilient stuff while planting new vineyards. This seemingly limitless supply of obsidian, ideal for fashioning razor-sharp arrowheads, made Lake County a virtual supply store for Native American hunters. Geologic convulsions still make Lake County a Disneyland of sorts for contemporary geologists.
The same geologic phenomena created the interlaced mountain ranges that ring Clear Lake, and make Lake County a difficult place to reach from neighboring Mendocino, Sonoma and Napa counties.
From any approach, one must traverse a winding road into the pretty valley that surrounds the placid lake. This same knot of mountains makes for an interesting mix of highland terroir, much of it sited between 1,500 and 3,000 feet in elevation with varied exposures and a common shared soil type: red, volcanic, poor in nutrients and exceptionally well drained.
Lake County’s most exciting reds are now coming from the ridges that surround much of Clear Lake, especially on the southeast lakeside in the aforementioned Red Hills of Lake County AVA and northwest of the lake in the High Valley AVA. Both of these AVAs, which range in elevation between 1,500 and 3,000 feet, take advantage of milder daytime temperatures, intense sunlight and 40 degree day-to-night temperature swings. Lean mountain soils yield small berries that prove to be rich in color, flavor and tannin.
In past years, growers had dismissed Lake County, asserting that its less-coastally influenced summers are too hot to make quality wines, the region’s high-altitude vineyards are actually a bit cooler than the hottest parts of Napa Valley, and the cabernet growing season is shorter than in Napa, but longer than that of Bordeaux.
Louis Martini, Beringer, Roumigiere and Kendall-Jackson were, in that order, among the first of the better-known outside growers to plant vineyards in what has, since 2004, been recognized as the Red Hills of Lake County AVA. Among a handful of others, these four were early to recognize that the comparatively affordable highland terrain had the potential to produce formidable Cabernet and Zinfandel. Validating his employer’s investment, legendary winemaker Jed Steele, after leaving his Kendall-Jackson post in 1991, settled in Lake County to make wines from both local fruit and outside sources.
A wave of winegrowers followed, banking heavily on the region and building their brands largely from the Red Hills AVA. For virtually all of the key players, cabernet sauvignon has become the lead grape. One of Red Hills’ most successful proponents is George Myers, a grower who owns Snows Lake Vineyard and bottles a small amount of commercial Cabernet. He points out that despite the imported experience now at work in Red Hills, the AVA’s output is a ten-year-old work in progress, while Napa Valley has had 30 to 40 years of continuous improvement to its credit.
Myers grew up on his family’s citrus and avocado ranch in Ojai before enrolling in the UC-Davis enology program and studying under Ann Noble (Myers had the privilege of assisting his professor in developing her now-famous wine sensory analysis wheel that maps the range of wine aromas and flavors). Myers moved on to develop chardonnay and syrah vineyards in Clarksburg, near Lodi. He sold those vineyards in 1994 and began looking for his next project, which presented itself in Lake County’s Red Hills.
He began acquiring land there-including an old Louis Martini ranch purchased in 1996-gradually assembling the contiguous 2,300-acre Snows Lake ranch. Between 1996 and 2000, Myers undertook an ambitious planting program that focused on cabernet sauvignon. Today there are 808 acres under vine, almost 600 in cabernet sauvignon with the balance, again in roughly descending order, in syrah, zinfandel, cabernet franc, merlot, primitivo, barbera, malbec, petit verdot and tempranillo.
An impressive list of clients, including Cakebread, Diageo (for its Dynamite brand), Rosenblum and Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars (the latter for its Hawk Crest second label), purchase fruit from Myers, who sensed from the outset that the best way to promote the Red Hills AVA and his Snows Lake Vineyard would be to craft a vineyard-designate wine. With the intent of associating the Lake County name with a great wine and simultaneously proving his vineyard’s merits, Myers held back some of his best 2004 fruit for the production of two limited-production wines: Snows Lake One (pure cabernet sauvignon) and Snows Lake Two (a blend of cabernets sauvignon and franc), both priced at $45 per bottle.
As advertised, each has since generated critical acclaim: the 2004 Snows Lake One earned a “Gold” at the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles and the 2005 a “Great Gold” award; the 2004 and 2005 vintages of Snows Lake Two both won prestigious “Double Gold” medals at the San Francisco International Wine Competition. Each wine displays the kind of deep black fruit found in Napa Cabs, but with a finesse and elegance that’s more akin to Bordeaux. It’s a profile that doesn’t have an equivalent in Alexander Valley, or any of California’s other prestigious Cab zones.
If Lake County can routinely deliver this caliber of Cabernet, it may become one of the finest Cabernet Sauvignon regions in the world. For now, though, there is very little of the very best. “We want Snows Lake to go to 1,500 cases, but that’s it,” Myers says. His goal was simply to prove a point: that Lake County can make world-class Cabernet. It’s a strategy that worked, and now Myers is turning away potential buyers. “It feels good to be validated,” he says.
Like Myers, Obsidian Ridge’s Peter Molnar also comes from a grapegrowing family, albeit with roots in the pinot noir and chardonnay country of Carneros. Molnar had long admired the Cabernets of Napa Valley’s Mayacamas Mountain range-Mt. Veeder, Spring Mountain and Diamond Mountain. “I started to wonder what’s north of Mt. St. Helena,” Molnar recalls. He followed his instincts north and bought a former walnut orchard in 1997, cleared it, and in 2000 began planting; in 2002, the Molnar family partnered with winemaker Michael Terrien of Hanzell Vineyards. They now have 105 acres of mostly north-facing cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, petit verdot and syrah vineyards planted at elevations between 2,300 and 2,600 feet. Their first commercial vintage was 2002.
Echoing the Snows Lake model, the 2005 Obsidian Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon boasts a depth of black fruit, ample structure and finesse. It’s a rich wine, but not clumsy or heavy. “When you deliver fruit here at 27 degrees Brix it’s completely sound,” Molnar says. “When you do that in Napa, the fruit has already begun to decay and shrivel.”
“It’s a collaborative effort up here, and we’ve pulled a lot of experts from Napa and elsewhere,” Molnar notes. “Arguably, that combination of cooperation and expertise was Napa’s road to success as well.”
When Andy Beckstoffer went real estate shopping in the Red Hills in 1997, it was a vote of confidence for Lake County from one of Napa Valley’s most esteemed growers. Beckstoffer wanted to expand his holdings and, after weighing an opportunity in Pope Valley (within the Napa Valley AVA), he invested instead in Lake County with the purchase of the 2,000-acre Red Hills ranch, originally Amber Knolls Orchard, which he renamed Amber Knolls Vineyard.
While the cachet of Pope Valley’s right to use the Napa Valley AVA on a label was alluring, it was the potential of the soils along the Lake County ridge that sold him on Red Hills. Economy of scale was another advantage. “There was also the opportunity to purchase a larger contiguous property,” Beckstoffer explains. By working a larger parcel of land, he could then justify hiring top vineyard managers and staff to live on site and manage the ranch.
While Beckstoffer sells most of his grapes to various clients for blending, including Schrader Cellars and Paul Hobbs, an Amber Knolls Cabernet is produced by his son, Tuck, under the 75 Wine Co. label.
Madder Lake Vineyard, owned and operated by Spencer Roloson Vineyards, is another Red Hills property that sells the majority of its grapes to others, but reserves some of the best fruit for single vineyard Spencer Roloson bottlings.
“The way I perceive Madder Lake is as a branded vineyard like Bien Nacido,” says Sam Spencer, whose 43 acres of mostly west-facing, high-altitude vineyards are sited between 1,650 and 2,250 feet. About 60 percent of the harvest is contracted for by wineries that include Copain, Merus and Turley.
He has met with critical success for both his Madder Lake Syrah and Tempranillo, but says the latter is in the greatest demand. “I get better pricing for it than [do growers in] Napa,” Spencer says. “I bought the property to plant tempranillo here… the topography reminded me of Spain,” Spencer explains.
As a nod to the area’s red soils, Spencer borrowed Madder’s name from a paint pigment made from madder root and used to glaze the vermillion tones of painters, like the Dutch Master Vermeer, with a vibrant ruby hue.

Across Clear Lake from the Red Hills AVA and to the north-northeast lies the High Valley AVA. As its name suggests, the elevations are lofty, running from a base of 1,800 feet with steeply pitched slopes of up to 30 degrees that can climb up to ridge lines that flirt with 3,000 feet. Exposures here are more varied than in Red Hills, but the dominant soil is the same red volcanic type found across the lake.
Clay Shannon of Shannon Ridge is one of High Valley’s biggest players. The former director of vineyard operations for Sutter Home (he held the post from 1985 to 1993) says that cheap land was the least important reason he settled here in 1995. Rather, “it was the red dirt, and it’s by far the best-drained soil you’ll ever see,” he enthuses. Shannon also recognized that the county, especially the highlands, was not as hot as it was reputed to be, and that by making good use of various exposures, elevations and microclimates, he could grow any number of grape varieties, including whites like roussanne and sauvignon blanc. “Lake County isn’t really hot at all -it’s warm,” he says. “It’s also dry, so we can grow great petite sirah and zinfandel.”
Cabernet sauvignon also does well in High Valley, as does barbera; 1,500 cases of the latter is bottled by Shannon Ridge in a juicy style, so popular that it sells out within months of release. While some wineries complain that blended wines are a tough sell, Shannon Ridge’s Wrangler Red, a layered, rich, everything-but-the-kitchen sink blend, is its bestselling wine.
After just a few years in the market, Shannon Ridge has reached 40,000 cases annually with plans to grow to 60,000 cases over the next couple of years. “Our heart is in taking our grapes all the way to the bottle,” Shannon notes.
The Shannon Ridge portfolio, priced between $12 and $20 per bottle and made in a very accessible style, enjoys national distribution. “The wines are really fruit driven, and there’s not a lot of oak,” Shannon explains. “Oak trees are for corks and for kids to climb.” His Sauvignon Blanc embodies the house philosophy. For all the recent talk of reds, Bordeaux’s star white grape remains a Lake County keystone and Shannon Ridge’s mouthwatering 2007 Sauvignon Blanc ($16) offers fresh aromas of melon, grass and grapefruit together with juicy, generous citrus and tropical fruit flavors.
Although Shannon is also crafting a few small- production reserve wines for the consumer who wants more oak and heavier bottles-and also just to see what heights the High Valley wines can reach -for the most part, he is committed to a populist approach. “I don’t want to raise prices,” he says. “We’re normal people, and with gas prices and the economy what they are, consumers certainly don’t need a price hike.”
Jerry Brassfield is a High Valley contemporary of Shannon’s whose Brassfield Estate also grows an eclectic assortment of grapes. He, too, is building a substantial brand based on estate- grown grapes rather than selling most of his fruit like many of their Red Hills peers. Although Brassfield has owned his 2,500-acre High Valley ranch for 35 years, he is a relative newcomer to grapes. In fact, it was his neighbor Clay Shannon who convinced him that winegrowing was the future of High Valley. “I bought [the ranch] thinking cattle and as just something to hold onto. We operated it as cattle ranch for 20 years and then kept it as a retreat,” recalls Brassfield, whose family had long raised cattle, as well as peaches and almonds. “I’ve always been close to the earth through farming. My brother and I had a small Santa Cruz Mountains winery when we were young and got up to 10,000 cases. It was profitable, but we ran out of capital and sold it,” he continues.
Fortified with investment capital from his extraordinarily successful nutritional food supplement business, GNLD, Brassfield took
Shannon’s cue and in 2001 began planting everything from cabernet sauvignon to merlot, pinot noir to petite sirah. Brassfield Estate has since blossomed to a 50,000-case-per-year brand with a portfolio of estate-bottled wines priced between $15 and $22 per bottle.
High Valley’s Brassfield and Shannon intend to maintain this high quality-to-value ratio for as long as they can in an increasingly competitive market, which should swell their already loyal fan base. And although Lake County vintners have already scaled new heights, if more of them can replicate the world-class Cabernets already trickling out of the Red Hills AVA, the North Coast’s newest wine frontier will enjoy even headier days in coming vintages.
Development in this promising locale has slowed a bit (mirroring the national real estate trend), but Obsidian Ridge’s Peter Molnar believes that’s because everyone is just letting the first vintages sink in: “We’ve got enough planted-now let’s see what we’ve got.”

In Steve Pitcher’s June/July 2007 cover article titled “Monte Rosso Memoirs,” the legendary vineyard was profiled as a patch of Sonoma County soil where, no matter who is producing or directing vinification, distinguished wines are the end result. The story garnered so much positive reader mail that Jeff Cox has set out to offer a larger sampling of California vineyards whose estimable reputations continue to grow in stature-in most cases eclipsing the personalities who vie for their fruit.
The twelve sites profiled here (as well as the 23 listed in the sidebar) were culled via a survey of our California contributors that was conducted by staff editors. Results were distilled and merged with the author’s personal favorites to determine which California vineyards have earned lasting legacies similar to Monte Rosso’s. Our final selections, though largely subjective, are based on each site’s longstanding reputation for producing exceptional grapes that yield wines on par with the best in the world.

Vineyards are a lot like people with special talents: Many produce good fruit, some produce excellent fruit and a favored few consistently produce world- class fruit, shining brighter than others for reasons that are largely intangible. While European winegrowers have for centuries celebrated certain parcels where climate, soil and variety converge seamlessly – Romanée-Conti and Chambertin in Burgundy, for example-through much of California’s comparatively nascent modern wine era it was the winemaker, rather than the vineyard, who was doted upon. It has taken some time, but as the 21st century dawned, a subtle shift of attitude in the collective California wine consciousness (among publicists, brand managers and critics) refocused la cause célèbre from vintner to vineyard. If there is a recurring theme among these legendary vineyards, it’s the fact that most have had to struggle to achieve their fame. For winemakers, struggle is a good thing because vine stress yields small berries with a high solids-to-juice ratio, and it’s from the solids, or skins, that a wine’s chief flavors are imparted.

BACKUS
Vineyard owner: Joseph Phelps Vineyards
Appellation: Oakville, Napa Valley
First planted: 1975
Backus Vineyard, of Joseph Phelps Vineyards fame, lies on the steep eastern hills in the Oakville appellation. The east and west sides of the Napa Valley are radically different: The cooler west side is fringed by tall conifers and dense deciduous trees that clothe the Mayacamas Mountains and receive slanted afternoon light as the sun descends behind them; the east side is considerably warmer and the aspect of the foothills that hem the Vaca Mountains is such that afternoon sun is absorbed head on. The vegetation there, other than vines, is short scrub mixed with protected pockets of trees.
It is here that the Backus vines struggle so valiantly. While most of the vineyard is planted to cabernet-the 2003 Backus was 100 percent cabernet sauvignon-there are small amounts of petit verdot and malbec, too, which are reflected in minuscule portions in both the 2004 and 2005 Backus vintages.
The Phelps family sourced fruit from the 6.75-acre plot from 1977 until 1996, at which time owner Marian Backus offered to sell the entire 45-acre parcel to her client; the winery enthusiastically bought it and began expanding the plantings to today’s 21.5 acres of steeply terraced hillside vineyard characterized by brick-red soil, so colored from the minerals carried down the slopes over millennia. But even the Phelps folks were unprepared for the extraordinary quality that has emerged from this vineyard in the last few years.
Backus’s depth of texture is nothing short of amazing. “It’s powerful when it’s young and has great balance that means it has great potential for aging,” notes director of winemaking, Craig Williams, who cites mocha, spice, chocolate and black fruit, as well as an expression of the old bedrock, volcanic riolite on which the vineyard sits, as its profile.
At the higher elevations, the pH is low at about 5.0, meaning it’s acidic and the topsoil is scant; at lower elevations there’s more organic matter in the soil and the pH is about 6.5, or just slightly acidic. Williams says the vineyard team applies lime to the soil to sweeten it and release potassium, the mineral that’s so important for the transport of nutrients within a plant and the balance of acid, sugar and tannins in the fruit. “It’s the same technique they use in Champagne and Chablis,” he notes.
Irrigation, however, is delivered solely by Mother Nature, which is among the vineyard’s finest natural assets. “There’s water availability at the root tips and the strong, late afternoon sun [promotes] ripe, well- integrated tannins,” Williams says. Water that falls on the Vaca range during the winter rainy season takes many months to work its way down to the valley floor, and must travel through some dense volcanic soil to do so, hence these Backus vines never lose contact with water, a feature shared by many of the great vineyards of the world.
“This is a weathered, low-vigor soil, like the better soils in Bordeaux,” Williams continues, “so the grapes gain maturity without the greenness that can happen at sites with richer soil.”
Contrary to the tenets that inform conventional agriculture, the highest-quality wines are grown on poor, barely hydrated soil. At Backus, the vines respond magnificently with reduced yield, smaller, concentrated berries and smaller clusters of grapes all factors necessary to produce wine for the ages.

BIEN NACIDO

Vineyard owner: Miller Family
Appellation: Santa Maria Valley AVA
First planted: 1973
In a precious few places in the world, a cool, ocean-influenced climate coexists with a sunny, Mediterranean-type climate. There’s the Casablanca Valley in Chile, the region around Perth in Western Australia, Capetown in South Africa, Bordeaux and coastal California’s Santa Maria Valley, home to the sprawling Bien Nacido Vineyard. The combination of summer-warming sun on the skin, together with the caress of delightfully cool, dry air, is energizing to both man and wine grape.
The mountains that hem the aptly named Santa Barbara County site-Bien Nacido means “well- born” in Spanish-rise to about 1,800 feet (mountains farther inland reach up to 4,000 feet). Rather than paralleling the coast, they run east/west, forming a natural funnel that delivers tempering morning fogs and cool afternoon ocean breezes 18 miles inland from the Pacific to Bien Nacido’s 600 acres of undulating vines. This is the coolest Region I territory on the Winkler scale of heat summations- perfect for chardonnay (180 acres) and pinot noir (190 acres). There are also smaller amounts of merlot, syrah, pinot blanc, pinot gris, roussanne, viognier and even barbera and nebbiolo.
Bien Nacido’s prestigious grapes are sold to 35 clients by specific vine row, rather than the standard by-the-ton measure. This novel strategy solves a recurring problem between California’s grapegrowers and winemakers: When grapes are sold by the ton, it’s in the grower’s interest to get the maximum tonnage from his acreage, while the winemaker wants restricted yields (three tons per acre or less) that translate to the highest-quality grapes. At Bien Nacido, however, the rows are farmed according to each client’s preferences for viticultural practices, such as sustainable, organic or biodynamic, tonnage and harvest timing.
In 1969, the Miller family, fifth-generation California farmers, purchased the 1,400-acre ranch, all that was left of an original 9,000-acre land grant made in 1837 to Tomas Olivera. The Millers reunited the ranch with an additional 600 acres that had been
part of that original grant. Stephen Miller and his late brother Bob conceived the custom by-the-row contracts. Today Stephen is president and CEO, and his son, Nicholas, handles public relations.
While the family does not produce its own Bien Nacido label, the vineyard has a slew of clients that produce a vineyard designate from this designer fruit, including Au Bon Climat, Foxen, Gary Farrell, Landmark and Qupé.
For a vineyard the size of Bien Nacido, where vines climb from the valley floor (200 feet above sea level at the lowest point) up gently folding slopes to about 900 feet, there is naturally going to be marked variations of aspect and soil type.

According to vineyard manager Chris Hammell, “The soils are light textured and very deep and well drained for the most part, especially where the Sisquoc River and Tepusquet Creek have deposited loams and sandy, alluvial outwash from the water. They become heavier toward the hills, where the soils are thinner.” Annual rainfall is sparse-about 12 to 14 inches per year on average.
“Even though there’s variation in soils,” Nicholas Miller adds, “there’s a definite spice box character in the nose across all the winemakers’ [bottlings]. And because of the cool climate, the fruit keeps its acidity.” Cool temperatures also ripen the fruit very slowly, so it hangs for a long time and reaches full flavor maturity without an overabundance of sugar and consequent high alcohol levels-a prospect that is just as refreshing as the chamber-of-commerce weather.

PAGANI RANCH
Vineyard owner: Pagani Family
Appellation: Sonoma Valley
First planted: 1880s
It’s not uncommon to see cars parked along Highway 12 in Kenwood with their drivers out on the swale, cameras in hand, snapping pictures of the vineyard, Victorian home and barns that make up the Pagani Ranch. If there were ever a picture- postcard view of an old California wine farm, this jewel in the Sonoma Valley appellation’s crown is it. When Felice Pagani bought the ranch in the 1880s, some of the vines in the western portion were already established. Even after more than 130 years, they have trunks no more than 4 to 6 inches in diameter because the soil in this elevated parcel west of the old railroad berm has dense clay aspects that make the vines work hard. He later bought the eastern parcel in 1904; its 104-year-old vines, now 8 to 12 inches in diameter, didn’t struggle quite as much in the flat, eastern portion that flanks Highway 12 because the brownish soils there contain more organic matter mixed with the clay loam.
The wines that hail from these 32 acres of field blend zinfandel are absolutely superb. In fact, the 1991 Ridge Pagani Ranch Zinfandel is among my top-five, all-time wine experiences. (Twenty acres of alicante bouschet, 6 acres mourvèdre and 3.5 acres of mixed heritage white grapes are also farmed here.)
What makes Pagani Ranch so special is that the massive trunks that support those old, head-trained goblet vines are reservoirs for the sap and nutrients that feed the leaves, which make the sugar in the grapes, and for the substances that form in the berries themselves. The roots of these ancient, dry- farmed vines strike deep into the soil, which keeps berries and yields small. These head-trained vines were set seven to eight feet apart in all directions without trellising, which enabled early grapegrowers to freely plow the weeds under with horsepower in both directions: up and down the rows and back and forth across the files.
After Felice Pagani died in 1926, his son Louis farmed the vines until he passed on just a few years ago. Louis’s nephew Dino Amantite (pronounced ah-mahn-tee-tee) continues to work Pagani Ranch and has been doing so since he was a kid. Today, however, he is employed by St. Francis Winery and Vineyards as vineyard manager, and his duties include overseeing the Pagani Ranch. His mother, Norma Pagani Amantite, 72, still lives on the ranch.
While Ridge’s Paul Draper makes a classic field blend Zinfandel from Pagani, St. Francis winemaker Tom Mackey makes a big, briary Reserve Zinfandel. St. Francis actually buys five-eighths of the fruit and Ridge three-eighths. In both cases, all the fruit from both types of soil is crushed together. Twenty-three more acres are planted to blocks of dark mourvèdre (called mataro by the Italian settlers) and alicante bouschet. The more esoteric plantings include some white grapes like sauvignon vert and golden
chasselas.
A number of the old vines near the road have been lost over the years to the occasional out-of- control automobile careening off Highway 12. Louis Pagani never replaced them and Amantite has no plans to do so either. He estimates that there are about 85 acres of potentially top-quality vineyard land that haven’t been planted yet. “I want to concentrate my efforts on planting open ground, rather than replanting the old vine vineyards,” he explains. “I haven’t decided whether to use head training or cordon trellising yet. If cordon is done properly-keeping the fruit to just one cluster per shoot-it should make better wine.”
It’s hard to imagine Pagani Ranch Zinfandel getting much better, but no one understands the vineyard’s untapped potential better than Amantite.

MONTE BELLO
Vineyard owner: Ridge Vineyards
Appellation: Santa Cruz Mountains
First planted: 1886
Ridge’s Monte Bello (beautiful mountain) Vineyard encompasses 103 acres perched high in the Santa Cruz Mountain appellation about 60 miles south of San Francisco. “The elevation runs from 1,400 up to 2,700 feet above sea level,” notes Ridge CEO Paul Draper. “It’s the highest vineyard in the Santa Cruz Mountains. It was the highest in California until 30 years ago. It’s higher than any vineyard in Europe.”
Its superior elevation has much to do with both the caliber of fruit it delivers and the characteristic
finesse of its claret style. The 72-year-old Draper, himself something of a legend, has been making his distinctive Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignons since the late 1960s. His impressive 1971 (Draper’s third Monte Bello Cab vintage) came in fifth at the now- storied Paris Tasting of 1976. Thirty years later, the exact same wine lineup was tasted in a re-enactment of the first tasting; the second time around, the 1971 Monte Bello came in first. It had reportedly aged more gracefully than the competition, while
retaining enough staying power to surpass the best wines California and France could muster.ban The Ridge Monte Bello Cab is a Bordeaux-style blend that loosely reflects the vineyard’s primary plantings: approximately 70 percent cabernet, 20 percent merlot, 7 percent petit verdot and 3 percent cabernet franc. There’s also a little chardonnay and a tiny block of 19th-century zinfandel at a lower elevation that Draper says “barely ripens.” Other and than the zin, the oldest vines were replanted on the abandoned vineyard in 1949, before Draper’s time, and the youngest in 1998, with the majority planted between 1968 and 1988.
Its exquisite, Bordeaux-like quality owes as much to the soil as to the blend. “The soil here is unusual for California,” Draper explains. “The whole ridge is fractured limestone overlaid with sedimentary green stone. You can break the green stone up with your hands, so the vine roots penetrate it easily. The green stone topsoil is down in the swales, while the limestone surfaces at the top and on the slopes.” Most of the vineyard aspects (how the vines are situated vis-à-vis the sun) face south, east and west, with very little northern exposure, promoting the maximum sun exposure needed to ripen wine grapes at a cool site such as this.
Draper says the Monte Bello Cab’s pH is unbelievably low. “It can come in around 3.0, though 3.3 is more typical. That’s because we’re so high up, and just 15 to 18 miles from the ocean. The nights of here are cool during the growing season, whichenty maintains the acidity and gives the wine itse brightness. It also extends the growing season so the grapes reach full maturity, while acids and alcohol remain in balance.” He adds that “Monte Bello shows intense minerality-more minerality than any other California wine.
“Monte Bello ridge was formed on the ocean bottom south of the equator 100 million years ago,” Draper continues. “About 67 million years ago, this submarine ridge on the Pacific tectonic plate collided with the North American plate, and was sheared off and left here. Because it was formed a far distance from any of the land that surrounds it today, geologists call this an ‘exotic’ terrain.”
About 15 years ago, Draper commissioned what proved to be a revelatory stairway leading down to the winery. “The stonemason picked up all these exotic pieces of rock. Some looked like quartz, some like stalactites. It was all limestone in many of its forms, made by pressure, heat and the dripping of water saturated with lime,” he explains.
Water may actually become more of an issue at Monte Bello in the future. “Right now, we only irrigate vines for the first four or five years. After that, the roots go deep enough to maintain contact with moisture through summer. But because of climate change, with its potential for less consistent weather patterns, we’re thinking of putting drip irrigation on older vines. If severe drought occurs, I want to be ready.”

FAY
Vineyard owner: Ste. Michelle Wine Estates & Marchese Piero Antinori
Appellation: Stags Leap District, Napa Valley
First planted: 1961
If anyone doubts the concept of terroir, they need only taste the FAY Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon or the CASK 23. The FAY makes a defining statement about this place on earth. CASK 23 refines and exalts it. Cabernet sauvignon had not been planted south of the area around the village of Oakville since before Prohibition because everyone “knew” it was too cool for it. But it generally takes someone less inclined to follow directions to foster change. In the making of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars FAY Vineyard Cabernet, it took two enological daredevils: Nathan Fay, who planted his vineyard to cabernet in 1961, and Warren Winiarski, a University of Chicago liberal arts professor who moved to the Napa Valley in 1964. Winiarski first worked with Lee Stewart at Souverain Cellars, then at The Robert Mondavi Winery where he developed his skills as a winemaker and a vision for making classic Cabernet Sauvignon like those in Bordeaux.
He was studiously sampling Cabs from around the valley when he came upon Nathan Fay’s homemade wine. “The minute I tasted it, I knew that this was the kind of Cabernet [classic elements of fruit and structure, suppleness and balance] I wished to produce,” recalls Winiarski, whose Polish surname serendipitously translates as “son of a winemaker.” He then discovered that a prune orchard next door to Nathan Fay’s vineyard was for sale, so he bought it and established Stag’s Leap Vineyard in 1970; he then bought Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars property in 1972; soon thereafter things started happening in a very big way. His 1973 vintage famously won in the red category at the 1976 Paris Tasting. In 1986, Nathan Fay offered to sell his vineyard to Winiarski, who was delighted to buy it. Composed of 66 acres of cabernet and a half acre of petit verdot, FAY slopes very gradually upward from behind the winery eastward to the base of the Stags Leap Palisades-towering pillars and crags of volcanic rock that jut vertically into the sky. Over several million years, boulders, gravel, sand, silt and clay washed down from the heights and were joined by organic matter to create the base for the FAY soils. When Winiarski replanted FAY in 1987 because of dwindling yield, outdated rootstocks and the threat of phylloxera, he laid out various blocks. In the center of Block 8 Winiarski says there is an irregularly-shaped “sweet spot” that yields wines with an unusual expressiveness: concentrated flavors, but also a soft sensuousness. Fruit from the heart of this block has also been used in the flagship CASK 23 bottling.
In addition to FAY, 75 acres of other estate plantings are stewarded by vineyard manager Kirk Grace, who honed his considerable skills at his family’s boutique Grace Family Vineyard. “FAY soils are highly influenced by topography,” Grace observes. “In general, they are deep and well- drained. Their pHs are in the mid-sixes.” This means with a pH somewhere around 6.5, the nutrient ratio and availability are ideal for feeding the vines. “In the upper elevations, the soils are derived from igneous rock tumbling off the Stags Leap escarpment,” Grace continues. “Here the soils are young, reddish, their texture coarse. It’s from these upper soils that we say FAY derives its ‘fire’ element. The soil from the flatter western portion of FAY is a deposit from Chase Creek as its course down the Napa Valley wandered back and forth over geologic time. Texturally, this lower portion is fine-grained clay loam. It’s from these finer-grained soils that we say FAY gets its ‘water’ element.”
Grace nurtures the soil with compost and trace elements, following the teachings of Dr. William Albrecht, a soil scientist who was one of the founders of the organic agriculture movement. While FAY is not yet certified organic, “A slow and steady progression into organics is essential,” Grace asserts. Winemaker Nicki Pruss likes working with the purity of flavors she gets from Grace’s different FAY blocks. “Within the vineyard is a diversity of soil… that provides fruit of different intensities, yet with a common theme-smooth tannins. It’s somewhat akin to beautifully hued paints on a painter’s palette that all have an attractiveness about them, alone and when blended. This vineyard gives you a lot of options,” she says.
To sip FAY is to taste classic Stags Leap-a solid core of concentrated fruit yet with smooth tannins and a voluptuous mouth-feel. It’s easy to imagine, too, why Winiarski was so bowled over when he sampled Nathan Fay’s early effort, and furthermore why new owners Ste. Michelle Wine Estates and Marchese Piero Antinori were willing to pay him $185 million for the entire 200-acre wine estate last August.

MARTHA’S VINEYARD
Vineyard owner: May Family
Appellation: Oakville, Napa Valley
First planted: 1961
It’s not clear whether Martha’s Vineyard made the Heitz Wine Cellar label famous or if the late winery founder Joe Heitz made Martha’s Vineyard famous, but vineyard and winery are exclusively and irrevocably wedded because of the truly legendary Heitz Cabernets (think minty, rich, chocolaty black fruit) that have reliably come from the property since the 1965 vintage.
Vineyard founders Tom and Martha May moved up from Santa Barbara to the Napa Valley in 1963 and bought a pretty Oakville vineyard already planted to cabernet sauvignon; it seemed natural to call it Martha’s Vineyard-alluding to her name and evoking his Eastern Seaboard roots. Soon thereafter they purchased an adjoining property, planted it with budwood from their existing vineyard and brought their total vineyard acreage to 35. But no briny facets mar Heitz’s quintessential 100 percent Martha’s Vineyard Oakville Cabernet, the current vintage of which is 2003.
Sited on the west side of the Napa Valley on a fan of fine alluvium soil that has weathered down from the Mayacamas Mountains, the vines’ roots strike deep to find moisture during the annual summer drought. “If you dig down there,” notes David Heitz, Joe’s eldest son and winemaker, “you’ll find decomposed rock.” Drip irrigation is installed, but, Heitz says, “It’s only used to keep the vines from shutting down due to lack of water late in the season.” Heitz enumerates a lot of good things that come together here to make Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet so distinctive: the climate, the soils, low yields (about three tons per acre, which yields about 3,500 cases per year), a minty character-“stronger in some years than others” and the Martha’s Vineyard clone of cabernet sauvignon. “It’s a shy-bearing clone with small clusters and small berries, and a tendency to shatter,” Heitz explains, but “where it came from is lost.”
Interestingly, the vines are on modified Geneva double curtain trellises-a technique developed at the Geneva Agricultural Experiment Station in the Finger Lakes for very vigorous native American vines. It’s not typically employed in California vineyards, but it cleverly opens the center of the vine to light and air, while keeping the clusters in bright shade.
The modified Geneva system must be an inspired choice because Heitz’s Martha’s Vineyard Cabs, aside from their minty quality, have come to be known for their impeccable balance. That balance makes them accessible early on, but also allows them to age gracefully for many, many years.

SANFORD & BENEDICT
Vineyard owner: Terlato Wine Group & Terlato Family
Appellation: Sta. Rita Hills, Santa Barbara County
First planted: 1971
The real treasure of the Sierra Madre may lie in its foothills in the Santa Rita Hills. Until Richard Sanford discovered that the region boasted the perfect conditions for pinot noir and chardonnay, and in 1971 planted a vineyard there called Sanford & Benedict, the area had been largely ignored by others. It didn’t take long for outsiders to realize that Sanford’s hunch was nothing short of prescient: The Pinot produced under that vineyard designate -arguably the Chambertin of California-was as pretty as a meadow full of spring wildflowers. Today the 500-acre ranch has 135 acres under vine, 68 to pinot, 52 to chardonnay and the balance to a mix of other grapes.
Now the Santa Rita Hills is a designated AVA officially known as Sta. Rita Hills, and Sanford & Benedict is more treasured than ever, having established a formidable track record with cool- climate varietals. The place is literally terroir personified: well-drained, sandy soils provide a superhighway from sea to vineyard; Pacific fogs ride inland between the mountains each night and keep nighttime temperatures in the 50s and 60s; bright sunshine pushes the fog back out to sea by mid- morning; days are barely warm, in the 70s mostly, with low humidity and nothing but blue sky above; by late afternoon, cooling air is funneled back into the area on westerly winds, dropping temperatures back into the 60s; at sunset, things cool off, the fog begins to drift in and the cycle begins again.
This salubrious schedule ripens the grapes very gradually, giving them from 30 to 45 more growing- season days than most other California AVAS. This longer hang-time helps fruit reach full maturity before sugars (and hence, alcohol) rise too far.
In 2005, the Terlato Wine Group bought a majority interest in the Sanford Vineyard and Winery; in 2007, the Terlato family became sole owner of the sustainably farmed Sanford & Benedict Vineyard. Doug Fletcher, vice president of winemaking for Terlato, oversees vinification at Sanford (along with shepherding the juice at Alderbrook, Chimney Rock, Rutherford Hill and Terlato Family Vineyards wineries), but Sanford winemaker Steve Fennell is on site in Sta. Rita Hills. He notes that Sanford & Benedict imparts distinctive “dried herbs in the nose and a spiciness and light pepper on the palate” of his Pinot Noirs. A portion of the fruit from the 135-acre vineyard is under contract to a distinguished trio of wineries – Au Bon Climat, Bonaccorsi and Longoria – for use in their own Sanford & Benedict vineyard-designated bottlings. The Terlato Group also owns Rancho La Rinconada (where Sanford Winery is located), whose 108 acres of vines are also farmed sustainably in the Sanford & Benedict mold.

TO KALON
Vineyard owner: Robert Mondavi Winery, 550 acres Beckstoffer Vineyards, 89 acres UC-Davis, 20 acres
Appellation: Oakville, Napa Valley
First planted: 1868
To Kalon, Greek for “the beautiful,” was so named because of its reputation for growing exceptionally fine cabernet sauvignon. Hamilton Crabb planted the original 359-acre vineyard in the 1860s. It was eventually acquired by Beaulieu Vineyard and designated BV #4. In 1966, when the late Robert Mondavi was looking for a site for his winery, he bought 12 acres of To Kalon because he recognized that the fruit was underutilized by Beaulieu. As his winery flourished, he bought up more and more of the vineyard, and also added contiguous parcels to it.
Beckstoffer, whose parcel is trademarked Beckstoffer To Kalon, is hard-pressed to explain precisely why the site yields such wonderful fruit and such fabulous wine. “The vineyard is greater than the sum of its parts,” he offers. “There’s the location, midway between the warmer northern part of the valley and cooler region to the south. The barometric pressure. Rainfall. Soil. How it’s farmed. Everything.”
More specifically, he continues, “The quality comes from choosing the right clones of cabernet sauvignon and cab franc that suit the site. The job is to get the vines in balance between the fruit and the vegetative growth, adapting the vines to whatever level of natural vigor they get from the site. We do this by how we prune the vines, by dropping crop [to concentrate fruit quality] and manipulating the VSP [vertical shoot positioning] trellis.” Beckstoffer generally gets about 3.5 to 4.5 tons of fruit per acre. “When we bought the property in 1993,” he says, “the fruit was going into the Beaulieu mix.” He replanted it between 1994 and 1997, using the opportunity to refine the clonal selections. “Now we get to put the fruit into the hands of some great winemakers,” including those at Atalon, Carter, Janzen, Justice, Macauley, MX, Paul Hobbs, Schrader Cellars, Provenance, Realm and Tor.
The vineyard lies on a slight slope, rising from 100 feet above sea level to 150 feet between Highway 29 and the Mayacamas Mountains to the west. Like most vineyards that hug the foot of a mountain, it’s
planted on an alluvial fan. “It’s heavily cobbled sandy loam that has washed down from the hills,” Beckstoffer notes. Very well-drained soil such as To Kalon’s is a plus for quality, yet there’s a risk toward the end of the growing season when the grapes are ripening. If the vines’ roots lose contact with soil moisture at that point, they can shut down, abandoning fruit and losing leaves. Therefore, drip irrigation is on standby as a preventive measure.
Beckstoffer To Kalon client Tor Kenward, a retired Beringer executive who founded his eponymous label in 2002, produces a wine from the vineyard that critics have likened to a Pauillac. Of its clones, Kenward observes, “Having tasted dozens of wines produced from the myriad blocks in the To Kalon Vineyard over many years, I can say they have a commonality [in] their lush, round, luxurious mouth-feel, and the sexy, pure cabernet flavors, but [they] are also distinctly the soil.” Kenward says the more western blocks tend to be less fertile than the eastern ones toward Highway 29.
Mondavi’s acreage includes a smattering of non- Bordeaux reds, such as zinfandel, but it is being replanted to focus even more on cabernet-dominated wines. Winemaker Rich Arnold says To Kalon’s Cabs are unique: “We often get black olive aromas, nice berry fruit flavors and big, huge, round tannins.” If Napa has a quiet, beating heart that pumps out the best the county has to offer, it is arguably To Kalon. >

SANGIACOMO
Vineyard owner: Sangiacomo Family
Appellation: Carneros & Sonoma Coast
First planted: 1969
Greg La Follette, one of California’s most esteemed winemakers, enthuses that “There is no one in the industry better than any member of the Sangiacomo family,” and he is equally enamored by the fruit they grow. He buys 12 to 14 tons of pinot noir and 13 to 16 tons of chardonnay from the family every year.
La Follette contracts the Sangiacomo fruit for his Tandem label and is extremely pleased with what he gets from every vintage. “The Sangiacomo Pinot Noir and Chardonnay always, to some degree, have those sauvage et animale characters that my wife finds so incredibly attractive, almost sexy,” he says. “The Chard has always been downright sexy, to be blunt. It kind of gets you right in that center chakra. The Pinot is always our most Burgundian bottling, with lots of forest floor, mushroom, smoked venison and great Pinot fruit that, as it ages, takes on a bacon fat element that becomes a dead ringer for a Burg.”
The main Sangiacomo Vineyard sprawls across 800 acres in the cool Carneros region at the south end of Sonoma County and was first planted in 1969 by Angelo Sangiacomo, the paterfamilias of the family, and his late brother Bob, his brother Buck and sister Lorraine. In addition to this large swath, the Sangiacomos farm 100 acres along Lakeville Highway, subject to the fogs and cool winds coming through the Petaluma Gap, and 100 acres along Roberts Road in the town of Cotati.
There’s a fair amount of pinot noir, a bit of merlot and a little pinot gris, but 70 percent of the vines planted in these vineyards are chardonnay, which has made Sangiacomo Vineyard and its satellites famous, yet the pinot is of the same high caliber. Of the 65 wineries that buy Sangiacomo fruit, 22 bottle it as a single-vineyard designate.
Ages ago, the gently sloping land that today accommodates the big, 800-acre Sangiacomo block that rose from near sea level along San Pablo Bay to about 30 feet farther inland was bay bottom. Digging down into the soil about two to three feet reveals compacted bay bottom clay, like a hardpan, that vine roots have difficulty penetrating. So the two to three feet of topsoil provides the majority of the vines’ nutrients. “This situation makes distinctive wines,” notes Mike Sangiacomo, one of Angelo’s three children. “Because the soils aren’t deep, they reduce vine vigor. Add to that the influence of cool air from the cold waters of the nearby bay.” The result is Chardonnay that’s bright and crisp. Some blocks show more lemon-citrus flavors, others more tropical flavors. He reports, too, that Barbara Lindblom, a consulting winemaker in Sonoma County, has undertaken a project to evaluate the shared bright acid, structure and mouth-feel characteristics of Sangiacomo Chardonnays, along with their panoply of flavor elements.
Mike’s brother Steve and their sister Mia’s husband, Mike Pucci, share roles in farming and running the family vineyard. It seems like an idyllic place to work. “We have no titles,” Mike grins.
His equally unassuming 77-year-old father has quietly been at the forefront of the evolution of Sonoma County’s grapegrowing industry for 40 years, and was recently inducted into the Sonoma County Farm Bureau’s Hall of Fame. Of his award, Angelo demurs, “That’s what happens when you get older and stay with it.”

THREE PALMS
Vineyard owner: John & Sloan Upton
Appellation: Calistoga, Napa Valley
First planted: 1968
You’ve never seen a more hardscrabble, hot, dusty place with poorer soil than Three Palms Vineyard, which is laid out in the northeast quadrant of the Napa Valley. In fact, if you want to plant a petunia here, you might consider using a jackhammer to open up the “soil,” such as it is. Most of the vineyard is rock.
So the famous vines planted here struggle. They struggle for water. They struggle against the dry heat that not only bakes the vineyard during the day, but radiates back at night, giving the vines little surcease. They struggle to force their roots down far enough in the well-drained outwash of Selby Creek, that descends from Dutch Henry Canyon, to gather the nutrients and moisture they need to produce some of the richest, finest, most-sought Merlots known to California, bottled only by Duckhorn and Sterling as Three Palms Vineyard designates.
In the late 1800s, the parcel was the site of a summer home owned by San Francisco socialite Lillie Hitchcock Coit. She called her estate Larkmead, and here hosted parties well attended by the era’s glitterati. It was she who planted the three Washingtonia palms whose slender trunks stretch 100 feet into the sky (or at least did until one died in the early 1990s; it has since been replaced by an adolescent 40-foot specimen, prompting local wags to nickname the vineyard Two-and-a-Half Palms). Brothers John and Sloan Upton acquired the property from the Tamagni family in 1967. As the transplanted San Franciscans began tackling the stony soil, employing-in addition to shovels – steel bars and high-pressure water guns to get the vines planted, people “thought we were nuts,” Sloan recalls. “City slickers planting a vineyard among the rocks!” Nuts or not, their gamble paid huge dividends as the vineyard emerged in a very short time as one of the most renowned in California. From its 73 planted acres, Duckhorn takes 20 percent of the fruit and Sterling harvests 80 percent.
The Bordeaux field blend on the Duckhorn parcel is 10.7 acres of merlot, 2.8 cabernet sauvignon, 1.5 cab franc and .75 petit verdot. Though predominantly merlot, too, Sterling’s larger slice, with the inclusion of malbec, gives it the full complement of Bordeaux varieties.
Duckhorn winemaker Bill Nancarrow vinifies his merlot and each supporting Bordeaux cast member separately. “The warm, up-valley location gives us a shorter season,” he explains, “but that can be influenced on an annual basis by the crop load, canopy size and health, and Mother Nature. Flavor-wise, our Three Palms Merlot has red berry characteristics with some minerality that can make the wine quite austere at a young age. One of the keys is having the ability to create complexity by blending the other Bordeaux varieties with the merlot.”
Sterling, now owned by Diageo, was figuratively born into its share of the vineyard’s fruit; the Uptons are first cousins to Sterling’s original owner, Peter Newton, who helped the brothers finance Three Palms’s purchase back in the Sixties. This good deed in turn earned Sterling longtime use rights to the vineyard, which the Uptons parsimoniously irrigate as insurance against loss of moisture contact with the vines’ roots. All the vineyard management decisions are ultimately made by the brothers, with the actual work done by crews from Duckhorn and Sterling. Because of the poor soil, vine spacing is expansive at 8×10 feet, giving each vine room to scavenge for the elements it needs. This math works out to a meager 545 vines per acre.
While Merlot is oftentimes thought of as the gentler, less-serious companion to Cabernet Sauvignon, Three Palms Vineyard designates readily defy the stereotype with their weight, depth and age- worthiness.

BV #1
Vineyard owner: Beaulieu Vineyard
Appellation: Rutherford, Napa Valley
First planted: 1900
Few vineyards in California, or America for that matter, have more history and consistency than BV #1, from which come the flagship wines of Beaulieu Vineyard, the great Rutherford appellation winery.
While the vineyard was planted to wine grapes by 1900, it was not plucked from obscurity until 1907 when Beaulieu founder Georges de Latour came along and bought the land at the base of Mount George that would become BV #1.
The story goes that when his wife saw the parcel, she exclaimed, “beau lieu,” French for “beautiful place.” The name stuck and the vineyard was on its way to growing California’s first cult Cab.
The debut Beaulieu Vineyard Georges de Latour Private Reserve was made from the 1936 vintage. Joel Aiken, vice president of winemaking, recounts that when Latour brought the newly fermented wine into his dining room at the Rutherford estate, its perfume filled the room. Latour himself said, “This is the wine I’ve always wanted to make!” Although he died before the wine was bottled, his flagship Bordeaux-style blend has been produced in every vintage since 1936.
Legendary enologist André Tchelistcheff arrived in 1938 to help make the wine that bears Latour’s name. His first stint at BV would last 35 years (he left in 1973 and returned in 1991, remaining until his death in 1994). Tchelistcheff was arguably Napa Valley’s first master winemaker; he helped set the stage for the glories the region would come to reap and mentored many of the vintners, such as Mike Grgich, the late Joe Heitz and the late Robert Mondavi, who would define California’s modern wine era. Aiken even had the privilege of working
side by side with Tchelistcheff during the latter’s final tenure at BV.
Aiken, who has now been with the Rutherford winery for 26 years, believes that it is the ripe tannins achieved in BV #1 that help hold the wines’ quality through long cellaring. Georges de Latour Private Reserve bottlings are known for their age- worthiness, a quality that’s all about provenance. “It’s the site,” Aiken says. “Look who’s around us -Hewitt, Rubicon, the old Inglenook estate-the whole middle of the valley in Rutherford is great, especially as you go west from Highway 29.”
BV #1 is just shy of 80 planted acres with 64 under cabernet sauvignon, 11 under merlot, 3 under petite verdot and roughly 1 in malbec. Its relatively flat terrain slopes gently uphill toward the Mayacamas Mountains to the west. Latour chose well when he purchased the parcel that would become BV #1. From its alluvial soil came an enduring wine that has carried his name into the 21st century and likely well beyond.

ROBERT YOUNG
Vineyard owner: Robert Young Family
Appellation: Alexander Valley, Sonoma County
First planted: 1963
The Robert Young Vineyard designate is Chateau St. Jean’s flagship Chardonnay, and half the grapes for its succulent Sonoma County Reserve Chardonnay come from the Young vineyard, too. Margo Van Staaveren is St. Jean’s director of winemaking and she is completely in love with the site. “It’s near the Russian River, but not on it,” she explains. “It’s a relatively warm site [for the variety] and grows lovely chardonnay.” There are 13 different blocks and many different soils, all of which give her lots of blending options.

Tasting BAR
The assemblage of wines that follow- a collection of some of California’s premier offerings-were tasted open by the author
at a private tasting. Scores are based on the BuyLine rating system.
Beaulieu, 2004 Georges de Latour Private Reserve, Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford-$105: Generous nose redolent of cigar box, black tea and cedar. Flavors are somewhat closed due to its youth yet it shows great promise and offers fine minerality together with a wealth of as-yet-undefined fruit and beautiful balance of elements. In a decade, it will be absolutely superb. Score: 92
Foxen, 2006 Bien Nacido Vineyard (Block 8) Pinot Noir, Santa Maria Valley-$54: A pretty nose of violets, cinnamon, raspberry and some toast from its 16 months in 60 percent new French oak. Firm structure yet rich and round in the mouth with deep, extracted flavors of black cherry, plum and red currant. Score: 90
Heitz, 2001 Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville – $135: This quintessential Oakville Cab is seamless; indeed, if asked to name a perfect wine, I’d say this 2001 Martha’s would fill the bill. It offers a bit of mint, bay leaf and sweet dried hay in the heady, sensuous nose. Lavish flavors of cherry and chocolate, sweet plum and currant. Rich and at the same time elegant; it’s one of the most distinctive wines in the world and displays the much-sought-after terroir of its vineyard. I was simply floored by this wine. (Please ship me several cases immediately!) Score: 98
J. Wilkes, 2006 Bien Nacido Vineyard (Hillside Block) Pinot Noir, Santa Maria Valley-$42: Flowery, spicy, herbal, sweet aromas arise from this stylish Pinot Noir. Elegant, restrained flavors of strawberry and raspberry are more evocative of a Beaune or Pommard than a fruit- forward California Pinot. Score: 92
Phelps, 2004 Backus Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville-$225: The Backus Vineyard’s aspect on the east side of the appellation, terraced on a very steep slope, results in enormous intensity. Its color is brooding, dark and mysterious. Its aroma is pure cabernet sauvignon with a perfume of lilac and vanillin oak. Its purity extends to the palate, which embodies classic Cabernet with its rich black fruit, chocolate, espresso and mineral aspects. Its texture is thick and fat, but certainly not flabby, and its structure is sturdy and masculine. Score: 96
Ridge, 2005 Monte Bello, Santa Cruz Mountains-$145: Soft, velvety aromas with the precise smell of cabernet sauvignon dominant. Remarkably approachable with smooth tannins and rich, deep, chewy flavors of dark black fruit, including damson plum. Hints of spice and dried meadow flowers on the lengthy finish. (70% cabernet sauvignon/22% merlot/6% petit verdot/2% cab franc) Score: 94
Robert Mondavi, 2006 Fumé Blanc Reserve, To Kalon Vineyard, Oakville
-$36: Pleasantly, not aggressively, grassy with bright lemon notes in the nose. Crisp, acidic, focused flavors of grapefruit and sweet citrus. A long, finish resonates with classic sauvignon blanc characteristics. Score: 90
Robert Young Estate, 2004 Scion, Alexander Valley-$60: Arrestingly gorgeous, deep ruby color. Aromas of tobacco leaf and chocolate. The mouth bursts with baskets-full of bramble berries-red raspberry, black raspberry, blackberry- and clove. Licorice aspects emerge in a medium finish. Firm tannins and lean structure will plump up with time in the cellar. Score: 92
Sanford, 2005 Sanford & Benedict Vineyard Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills -$50: A light ruby color belies rich aromas of cherry and raspberry with a subtle cola fragrance. Spicy, bright flavors of ripe red cherry plus blackberry and crushed hazelnut on the finish. Crisp acidity and smooth tannins make for a very appealing wine. Score: 92
Schrader, 2004 Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville-$495: Classic Oakville Cabernet. Enticing scents of licorice, tobacco and elderberry. Generous flavors of Bing cherry, peach and nectarine, along with the pure taste of the cabernet grape. Huge and rich yet displays great balance between all its elements. Delicious now, it will be much, much better in years to come. Score: 96
St. Francis, 2004 Pagani Ranch Vineyard Reserve Zinfandel, Sonoma Valley-$45: Inky, dark color. Raspberry dominates a complex nose. Youthful and brash with strong, rough- hewn tannins that will be tamed by time. Flavors of ripe red and black fruit are a tapestry of chewy, spicy blackberry, marionberry and plum. Very alcoholic and extracted. Score: 90
Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, 2003 FAY Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Stags Leap District-$80: Vanillin oak, nutmeg and rosemary flit through the nose. Structurally it shows finesse and elegance yet its mouthful of flavors are opulent: red currant, black cherry, peach and plum, along with cocoa nuances. Soft tannins make it drinkable now, but it will benefit greatly from some years in the cellar. Score: 94
Sterling, 2004 Three Palms Vineyard Merlot, Napa Valley-$60: This world-class expression of Merlot offers dark fruit, clove, vanilla and toasted coconut scents. Layers of blueberry, plum, caramel and cocoa framed in a structural core open like a flower. Oak, acid, fruit, tannins and alcohol are in perfect balance. The finish lasts for nearly a minute. Score: 96
Tandem, 2006 Sangiacomo Vineyard Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast-$42: Very Burgundian in style. Bouquet of medium-plus toast, along with dried wildflowers. Flavors of apple, pear and hints of tropical fruit fill the big, round middle of this nicely balanced wine. Its Montrachet-like flavors recede slowly in the lengthy finish. Score: 92-JC

Second in import to site is the Robert Young clone, which, Van Staaveren says, was originally the Wente clone. “[It] has smaller clusters and berries. So, really, the quality of the wine comes from clonal differences and the poverty of the soil. This vineyard has unique and distinct reproducible characteristics.”
Winemakers enjoy working with a vineyard that delivers consistent character from vintage to vintage because it enables them to establish a singular house style and meet consumer expectations, too. Robert Young Vineyard’s very distinctive fruit comes from a 317-acre site at the western base of the Mayacamas Mountains dominated by 3,455-foot Geyser Peak. In winter, when the air in Alexander Valley is cool and moist, plumes of steam from the active geysers along this mountain range can be seen from all over the county. About 200 acres fan across the Alexander Valley floor. “And half of that is alluvial soil, washed down over eons from the mountains,” explains Jim Young, whose 89-year-old father Robert embodies a vital connection to the early days of vineyard development in the Alexander Valley. (In addition to his earning a reputation for spectacular chardonnay, Robert is also credited with being the first to plant cabernet sauvignon vines here in 1963.)
Along with its alluvial composition, there are other soil types flavoring the Young vineyard, including the silty clay loam on which Young’s famous chardonnay is grown. Because of the clay component, “in the summer, when the soil dries out, big cracks open up and the chardonnay has to struggle,” Jim notes.
The Youngs went from farmers to vintners in 1997 when they founded their eponymous brand, Robert Young Estate. They have about 100 acres of red grapes up on the hillsides (including cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc and petit verdot) that they bottle as Scion (the red fruit is also contracted by St. Jean and others). Yet the name Robert Young Vineyard is synonymous with Chardonnay. Winemaker Kevin Warren says he strives to make “a good, rich, creamy, ripe California Chardonnay. It’s leesy and goes through 100 percent malolactic fermentation.”
Van Staaveren makes her Robert Young Chards in a non-malolactic style because she says the fruit “has such lovely texture and density. It’s not acidic, but it has a firm structure,” she continues, “that’s why we don’t mess with the acid by putting it through malo.” Rather than resonating with the tropical flavors ordinarily associated with California-grown chardonnay, Van Staaveren says Robert Young fruit “shows lemon oil, pear and honeysuckle qualities” – atypical attributes whose sum yields rich, extraordinary wines.

And California vintners are happy to ante up for a portion of the gold. Napa vintner Fred Schrader bottled four 2004 Cabernets made with Beckstoffer To Kalon grapes, all bearing the Beckstoffer Vineyard designation; the wines earned scores of 95, 96, 97 and 97, all classic ratings on Wine Spectator’s 100-point scale.

For Beckstoffer, economics, vineyard preservation and wine qual- ity are all pieces of the same puzzle, and he knows every aspect of the subject. He can tell you the respective acreage of the different grape varieties at his 20 North Coast properties. He can cite the earliest date of recorded references to Napa’s oldest vineyards. He knows the likely bottom line from the individual blocks. Beckstoffer is a businessman, and as much as anyone, he’s proven that high- end grapegrowing in California can be profitable. “People will say, ‘He’s just in the business of raising the price of grapes.’ And yes, I am; we’re trying to get our fair share. If the vine- yards don’t make economic sense, you won’t preserve the vine- yards,” says Beckstoffer, 67, who still speaks with a drawl from his native Virginia.
He arrived in the Bay area in 1969 as a brash, 29-year-old execu- tive for a food-and-drinks conglomerate. At that time, the modern Napa wine industry was in its infancy. Grapegrowing in California then was a dicey venture, as it had been since the repeal of Prohi- bition. Even until the 1980s, there were relatively few wineries in operation, making it strictly a grape buyers’ market. Beckstoffer has led the vanguard to level the field.
“Andy’s very aggressive in his pricing, compared with almost any other grower,” says Sonoma-based winemaker Paul Hobbs, who buys To Kalon Cabernet for the vineyard-designated Paul Hobbs Caber- net Sauvignon Oakville Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard. Hobbs’ wine is typically superior; the current release, 2004 ($235), scored 94 points, as did the 2002 and 2001. “He’s driven by the bottom line and has brought a pure business approach [to grapegrowing], but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t produce great fruit,” Hobbs adds.
Beckstoffer now owns 3,300 acres of vineyard land distributed evenly between Lake, Mendocino and Napa counties (of that total, 400 acres in Lake County remain to be planted; an additional 1,200 acres, mostly in Mendocino, are unsuited for vineyards). He owns 10 properties in Napa, acquired between 1973 and 1997, which range in size from 25 to 300 acres. The company has 35 salaried employ- ees, about 50 year-round farm workers and up to 300 pickers during harvest. This year, Beckstoffer anticipates harvesting about 14,000 tons of grapes, the equivalent of about 800,000 cases of wine. He sells fruit from 1,200 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon to 40 wineries, including Caymus, PlumpJack and Kendall-Jackson.
Beckstoffer appears a good decade younger than his 67 years. He met his wife, Betty, in elementary school. They have five children, three of whom work in the wine industry. Beckstoffer looks every bit the gentleman farmer, in jeans and a leather vest over a mock turtleneck and rust-colored twill shirt. He has a knack for stating his case cogently and affably, making it sound eminently sensible; it’s a safe bet that he loses few arguments. And he’s never off the clock. Sitting down to lunch at a bistro on the Napa waterfront, he asks if the restaurant serves rosé by the glass. “Yes, we have a Tavel,” says the waiter.
“That’s from France,” Beckstoffer responds, his even tone con- veying perfect disapproval. “Do you have a Napa Valley rosé?” They don’t, so he gets a Pinot Noir from Mendocino, where he owns 1,000-plus acres. He orders a hamburger very rare, and the kitchen obliges, serving tartare-purple beef, which he relishes.
Beckstoffer does not mince words. Ask him a question and he’ll answer it, graciously but directly. He sells many of his grapes accord- ing to a formula that he introduced in 1976, whereby the price per ton is about 100 times the bottle price. Paul Hobbs, for example, pays about $23,500 a ton for the To Kalon Cabernet he subsequently sells for $235 a bottle. Schrader pays $7,500 to $12,500 a ton. “The major thing this does is put the grower and winery on the same page,” Beckstoffer explains. “Historically, the grower wants to over- produce and the winemaker underpay. There’s none of that conflict [with the 100-times pricing].”

HOW BECKSTOFFER got his vineyards is a Napa Valley entrepreneurial success story. It also explains in part why he’s been a divisive figure. He came to California as an executive with Connecticut-based Heublein, a corporation whose holdings included mass-market brands Smirnoff vodka and A.1. steak sauce. Heublein sensed the growth potential of Cali- fornia wine, and in 1968 it bought United Vintners, the company that owned Inglenook Winery in Ruth- erford. The next year, Heublein also purchased Beau- lieu Vineyard.
Beckstoffer, who had attended Virginia Tech on a football scholarship and received an MBA from Dartmouth, was appointed president of Vinifera Development, the company Heublein formed to oversee its vineyard holdings, in 1970. Beckstoffer, who at the time knew nothing about viticulture, had the good luck to work with legendary Beaulieu winemaker André Tchelistcheff. Beckstoffer also had a knack for hiring capable people: His fourth employee, brought on in 1971 as viticulturist, was Bob Steinhauer, who went on to direct vineyard operations at Beringer, and a subsequent hire was Steve Yates, the current vineyard director at Kendall-Jackson.
Steinhauer wasn’t familiar with Napa and had studied viticulture in the California Central Valley, which was producing inexpensive jug-style wines. According to Steinhauer, Tchelistcheff had had his doubts about him, and in March 1971, said to Beck- stoffer, “If you take my vineyards and give them to this guy, you might as well cut off my legs.”
But Tchelistcheff came around once he understood that they all wanted to learn. “I couldn’t have been any luckier having André as a mentor, and I feel the same way about Andy,” says Steinhauer. “He taught me it’s not just farming any- more, that you have to know all aspects of the business.”
In the beginning, they flew by the seat of their pants, planting new vineyards, experimenting with new trellising, irrigation and spacing techniques. By 1973, Heublein wanted out of the busi- ness: expenses were too high, profits too low, and the East Coast conglomerate wanted no part of the looming labor conflicts with the César Chávez-led United Farm Workers union.
This presented Beckstoffer with an opportunity. “I had to decide if I wanted to be an entrepreneur,” he says. He did, and
convinced Heublein to sell him Vinifera Development, along with its 1,200 acres in Napa and Mendocino. The deal was highly leveraged, with Beckstoffer paying $7,500 in cash and borrow- ing $6 million. But vineyard acreage in Napa increased signifi- cantly in the mid- to late-1970s (along with inflation), and grape prices plummeted. By 1978, Beckstoffer was on the verge of bank- ruptcy and had lost much of the vineyards in the restructuring with Heublein and other creditors. He renamed the company Beckstoffer Vineyards and spent the next five years climbing out of debt. “I had to sign personal servitude contracts,” he says. Still, by 1983, Beckstoffer had accumulated 873 acres in Men- docino and 171 acres in Napa. He’d also started working to correct
what he perceived to be the fundamental inequities between win- eries, who dictated grape prices, and growers.
Napa vintner Schrader, who buys Beckstoffer grapes from To Kalon and the Amber Knolls Vineyard in Lake County, says, “There’s a story about Andy years ago going to a Napa vintner- grower meeting, with 12 chairs around a table for the wineries, and chairs along the walls for the growers. They weren’t equals. And it makes me laugh, because knowing Andy, that setup couldn’t last. When vintners and growers meet now, I can tell you that Andy sits at the middle of the table.”
Although Beckstoffer is most closely associated with Napa, two-thirds of his vineyard land is in Mendocino and Lake counties. He has 1,100 contiguous acres of Cabernet Sauvignon in the Red Hills AVA of Lake County (700 acres are now in produc- tion), all hillside plantings with well-drained volcanic soil. The project, started in 1997, represents a substantial risk for Beckstoffer: By the time all the land is planted, he will have invested $25 million, despite the region’s modest track record with Cabernet.
“We looked around Lake for a year, digging holes, looking ev erywhere,” he recalls. “It turns out the Cab [elsewhere in the county] had been planted on the wrong ground.”
The market reception so far has been lukewarm, with about half the grapes unsold. In 2004, Beckstoffer started using grape surplus to make wine, which he sells to négo- ciants who bottle it under
their own brands (Beckstoffer would not identify the buyers, other than his son Tuck). This is his second foray into winemaking. The previous effort, in 1989, was by his own admission ill-executed- they didn’t hire a full-time winemaker and failed to market the brand. “And I didn’t like that business,” he adds. “I didn’t want to do winemaker dinners and fly around the country dealing with food-and-beverage managers.”
He prefers using his grapes to help other wineries build their brands. Provenance Vineyards, a winery based in Rutherford, buys half of the fruit for its 60,000-case brand from four Beckstoffer properties: Las Amigas in Carneros, Orchard in the Oak Knoll District, George III in Rutherford and To Kalon. Contracts vary according to the site. At To Kalon and parts of Las Amigas, Provenance buys by the acre; at the other vineyards, prices for Merlot and Cabernet range from $3,000 to $5,000 per ton. Tom Rinaldi, director of winemaking at Prove- nance, admits that he’s glad he’s not involved in hammering out the details of those contracts. “I would feel overwhelmed,” he says. “Andy’s beyond a tough negotiator-he’s brilliant.”
When he started with Provenance in 2000, Rinaldi felt appre- hensive about working with Beckstoffer, whom he knew only by reputation. But with time, he found out for himself that Beckstof- fer was not unreasonable. “About the only thing that upsets him from time to time is that he says we’re undercharging for the wines that have his name on the label,” Rinaldi relates.
IN THE PAST, Beckstoffer has been characterized as a corporate carpetbagger, and after nearly 40 years in Napa, this portrayal still bothers him. “I didn’t steal anything from anybody. I bought good vineyards from wineries that should have known better [than to sell
them],” he says.
But he does acknowledge that his attitude toward the vineyards has changed over the years. “When I first ar- rived, I was a young business- man that considered the vine- yards an asset to be exploited,” he says. Now he wants to pre- serve them. Beckstoffer has placed his To Kalon holding in a conservation easement, a legal entity that prevents the site from ever being devel- oped, and he was integral in lobbying Congress for changes to the law, approved last year, which gave farmers, ranchers and foresters significantly ex- panded tax benefits for putting their land in conservation easements. Beckstoffer also formed a trust that prevents his children or descendents from ever selling To Kalon, to anyone. Eventually, he expects about 700 acres of his vine- yards to go into that trust.
Asked why his perspective changed, Beckstoffer grows wist- ful. “When you just hang out in Napa long enough, you begin to see the beauty of the valley,” he says. “I remember develop- ing some vineyards, taking out old oak trees with three or four- foot trunks. Then afterwards you look around and wish you had left the trees.”
In Napa’s current political environment, it’s easy to reach an agreement on protecting the land. But Beckstoffer has also been at the center of other, more controversial issues. Perhaps the most contentious, and furthest reaching, was the formulation of the Napa County Winery Definition Ordinance. In the late 1980s, Beck- stoffer led the effort to mandate that any new winery in Napa use at least 75 percent Napa grapes. Existing wineries would receive a grandfather-clause exemption, but subsequent expansion on their production facility would be restricted by the rule. Many vintners, especially those with brands made from out-of-county fruit, strenu- ously opposed the idea. As a major holder of Napa acreage, Beck- stoffer was castigated as merely advancing his own interests.
The Napa County government approved the Winery Definition Ordinance in 1991, and it’s now widely recognized as an important legal safeguard. “If we hadn’t passed that, I can virtually guarantee that Napa would now be a region where wineries mostly truck in grapes from other areas,” says Andrew Hoxsey, whose family owns the Napa Wine Co., as well as 635 acres of Napa vineyards.
Beckstoffer has tackled other issues that serve the common good as well as his own interests. He’s been the driving force be- hind the hang-time seminars sponsored by the Napa Valley Grape- growers, a promotional organization Beckstoffer started in 1975. The seminars, which have featured vintners and viticulturists, address the topic of excessive ripeness in California wine today, and whether winemakers’ current preference for advanced ripeness negatively impacts wine styles, vine health and grower profits, as picking later can reduce tonnage due to dehydration.
Many producers believe that from Beckstoffer’s perspective, the grower profits are the primary concern. “I think Andy Beckstoffer ought to be the last person to complain, because he already gets high tonnage and charges a lot for that tonnage,” says one Napa vintner, speaking anonymously.
For his part, Beckstoffer sees it as a question of fairness. If wine- makers want the style that comes only from an extended hang- time, then they should pay for it. But simply charging more per ton isn’t the solution, he says. Growers and vintners are in the same boat, albeit at different ends, so there is a common goal of preserv- ing quality at higher yields and achieving flavor ripeness faster.
BECKSTOFFER LIKES VINEYARDS with history. “There’s real quality and perceived quality, and the perceived quality is the pedigree,” he says. Few California vineyards better combine pedi- gree and quality than To Kalon, which was first planted to vines in 1868. Beckstoffer bought 89 acres of the 359-acre site from Beaulieu in 1993 for a reported $3.9 million, or $44,000 an acre. Barring unforeseen changes in the law, it will never again be sold, but the current value of the property is at least $350,000 an acre, the price Francis Ford Coppola paid in 2002 for a comparable property, the J.J. Cohn Vineyard in Rutherford.
All 89 acres required replanting due to phylloxera. Beckstoffer changed the trellising to get more sun exposure on the grapes, and tightened up the vine spacing. He initially planted 10 acres of Mer- lot, but later replaced it with Cabernet. Depending on the cus- tomer, yields at To Kalon range between 2.5 and 5 tons per acre. For the next replant, in perhaps 15 years, he expects to use a more diverse array of Cabernet clones and to tweak the row direction and trellising system to reduce the risk of sunburn.
In 2002, Robert Mondavi Winery, which also owns 250 acres of To Kalon, claimed that it had sole rights to the To Kalon trademark and sued Beckstoffer and Schrader Cellars in federal court. The de- fendants responded that the use of the To Kalon name didn’t belong to the Mondavi brand, but to the vineyard itself, as defined by its historical boundaries. Mondavi eventually dropped its suit.
It’s a beautiful site, located on the west side of Highway 29, just south of Mondavi. From the road, the vineyard slopes gently upward for about 1 mile, abutting the foothills of the Mayacamas Mountains. On a sunny afternoon late in February, a few vines drip sap from their pruning wounds, a sign that budbreak will soon happen.
“Coming out here on a day like this is the reward,” says Beck- stoffer. Then, flashing a smile, he adds, “And of course, it’s nice when know it’s yours.”

Winegrower Andy Beckstoffer was honored as Napa County Farm Bureau’s Outstanding Agriculturist of the Year at their 94th annual dinner meeting last Friday.

The Farm Bureau recognized Beckstoffer for his dedication to agricultural preservation and his successful advocacy for federal tax incentives for donations of conservation easements. Conservation easements guarantee a property will remain as a farm or open space in perpetuity and ensures farmland is available for future generations.
Beckstoffer was presented with a “first of its kind” Congressional Wine Caucus commendation by Congressman Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) and also received a California Legislative resolu- tion from Assemblywoman Noreen Evans and Sharon Macklin, field representative for State Senator Pat Wiggins. The resolution highlights the milestones of Beckstoffer’s career as a grapegrower as well as his involvement in community and civic organizations.
Known for his charisma, soft southern accent and sharp business acumen, Beckstoffer was born in Richmond Virginia, graduated from Virginia Tech University, served as Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army.
He received a MBA from Dartmouth College.
In 1970 he founded Beckstoffer Vineyards, which is known for its premium winegrapes and its historic and pedigree vineyards.
In the 1970’s, he was a founder of the Napa Valley Grapegrowers, and served as a Napa County Planning Commissioner.
Beckstoffer currently serves on the Board of the Napa County Land Trust and the California Association of Winegrape Growers.
He is active with the Rutherford Dust Society and the Boys’ and Girls’ Club of St. Helena.
Al Wagner, Napa County Farm Bureau president, said, “We applaud Andy’s leader- ship in preserving the agricul- tural and natural resources of Napa County. His advocacy efforts in Congress will lead to many more conservation ease- ments and protection for thou- sands of acres of agricultural land and open space.”

On July 20, esteemed winegrower Andy Beckstoffer was honored as Napa County Farm Bureau’s Outstanding Agriculturist of the Year at their 94th annual dinner meeting. Farm Bureau recognized Mr. Beckstoffer for his dedication to agricultural preservation and his successful advocacy for federal tax incentives for donations of conservation easements. Conservation easements guarantee a property will remain as a farm or open space in perpetuity and ensures our farmland is available for future generations.
Mr. Beckstoffer was presented with a “first of its kind” Congressional Wine Caucus commendation by Congressman Mike Thompson and also received a California Legislative resolution from Assemblywoman Noreen Evans and Sharon Macklin, Field Representative for State Senator Pat Wiggins. The resolution highlights the milestones of Beckstoffer’s career as a grape grower as well as his involvement in community and civic organizations.
Known for his charisma, soft southern accent and sharp business acumen, Mr. Beckstoffer was born in Richmond Virginia, graduated from Virginia Tech University, served as Second Lieutenant in the United States Army and received a MBA from Dartmouth College. In 1970 he founded Beckstoffer Vineyards which is known for its premium winegrapes and its historic and pedigree vineyards. In the 1970’s, he was a founder of the Napa Valley Grapegrowers, and served as a Napa County Planning Commissioner. Mr. Beckstoffer now serves on the Board of the Napa County Land Trust and the California Association of Winegrape Growers, and he is active with the Rutherford Dust Society and the Boys and Girls Club of St. Helena.
Al Wagner, Napa County Farm Bureau President, said, “We applaud Andy’s leadership in preserving the agricultural and natural resources of Napa County. His advocacy efforts in Congress will lead to many more conservation easements and protection for hundreds of acres of agricultural land and open space.”
NCFB is a voluntary, non-profit, non-governmental organization whose basic goal is to ensure the proper political, economic, environmental and social climate for the continuation of agriculture. Napa County’s strong agricultural heritage has contributed significantly to this state’s economy. Today, NCFB strives to preserve land for agriculture, and creates policies and programs that allow us to maintain a high quality of life in Napa County.

Andy Beckstoffer has made a bundle in the California wine business in the past four decades. Yet the Richmond native, who recently returned to speak at his alma mater, Benedictine High School, remains a down-to-earth guy who wants to preserve the rich land that has brought him fortune and a measure of fame.
“When I went out to California, I was an MBA who looked at the land as a busi- ness asset to be exploited,” he said with a distinctive twang that has earned him the nickname “The Virginian” in Napa Valley wine circles.
His energy and innovation helped him build Beckstoffer Vineyards into the larg est independent family owned vineyard on California’s North Coast.
The lifestyle magazine Gourmet wrote last year that Beckstoffer owns, cultivates and harvests more than 3,000 acres of vineyards north of San Francisco, where land can sell for more than $200,000 an acre. He sells grapes to 50 wineries. The premium grapes are used primarily in cabernet sauvignons and merlots.
Beckstoffer Vineyards is worth about $450 million, according to industry sources.
But quantifying his life’s work misses the point, said Beckstoffer, 67. Though he initially squeezed the grape industry for its return on investment, he has found a new path to leave the land intact for future generations.
He has become a leading advocate, both in California and Washington, D.C., for re- forming federal tax law to preserve and pro- tect farms.
Scenic land such as Napa Valley is always going to be pressured by development, he said, whether it’s for new homes or fast- food joints. Until two years ago, farmers could write off only a fraction of their ad- justed income on taxes-creating the pres- sure to sell property.
“The farmer becomes land poor,” Beck- stoffer explained. “His land is worth more than the income it produces.”
As a result, many farmers around the United States have chosen to sell. Two years ago, he said, Congress temporarily changed the tax code so farmers could write off 100 percent of adjusted gross income produced by their land over a 15-year period.
“Now you can write it all off,” he said.
He’s working to get that change made permanent, and has been backed by U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.
“We’re gaining momentum,” Beckstoffer said. “It’s politics and it does cost the treasury money, so you have to con- vince them it’s in the national interest.”
He describes his evolution from user to steward of the land as a slow morph- ing, not a sudden epiphany.
“Beckstoffer was seen by some as one of the barbarians massing at the gates of an ecological paradise,” Gour- met mused. Beckstoffer admitted to “the hubris that animated his early ca- reer.”
He told the magazine: “Now I under- stand the land is a natural resource to be preserved.”
Through the 1970s and 1980s, his grapes helped make the Napa Valley wines competitive with French prod- ucts. Grapes made from his storied To Kalon Vineyard-in cultivation since the 1860s-fetched more than $250 per bottle last year.
Wealth and accolades weren’t enough, though.
“As you go through life every day and see a gorgeous place, you think it’s a miracle that we’re still predominantly agricultural, and you want to preserve it,” he said. “Now I think of it as a na- tional treasure.”
Beckstoffer grew up in a large, com- munity-minded family that always gave back, led by his father, Herman Beck- stoffer, a patron of Benedictine High School.
Andy Beckstoffer developed a nose for California wines while serving in the Army in the early 1960s in San Francisco. On the weekends, “we would take off and go up to the wine country,” he told The Times-Dispatch
in 1988.
After getting his MBA from Dart- mouth, he returned to California in the late 1960s. While working in mergers and acquisitions for a financial firm, he entered the wine business.
He later bought the business and de- voted his life to the vineyards-em- ploying modern technology such as im- proved irrigation techniques. He also moved to sustainable farming tech- niques, using biological methods rather than chemicals to control pests and dis- eases.
More enlightened tax laws could help protect land around the country, including historic properties in Vir- ginia, he said.
“I firmly believe that in the 20th cen- tury, we were users” of the land, Beck- stoffer said. “I make no apology for that, but we used up land and water, and created this global-warming prob- lem. In the 21st century, I think we’re going to have to be preservers” of the Earth.

Andy Beckstoffer
The founder of Beckstoffer Vineyards (www.beckstoffervineyards.com), which grows wine grapes on California’s North Coast, has come a long way since attend- ing Benedictine High School in the 1950s.
Richmond roots: Born Nov. 28, 1939
Education: Benedictine High School, 1957; Virginia Tech, 1961, where he was on a football scholarship and got a degree in construction engineering; MBA from the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dart- mouth College, 1966
Family: Betty, wife of 47 years; five chil- dren, including three in the wine business.

Some of Napa Valley’s most prominent landowners have become stewards of the local environment, preserving undeveloped land by donating property, obtaining conservation easements, and contributing money to the Land Trust of Napa County. Sprawling vineyards and massive homes have dramatically altered the county in recent years, but since the land trust began in 1976, it has succeeded in safeguarding 50,000 acres, 10 percent of Napa County’s 500,000 acres.

Warren and Barbara Winiarski, Rene di Rosa, Jack and Dolores Cakebread, Denis Sutro, Daryl Sattui, Andy Beckstoffer, Randy Dunn. These local icons, along with such celebrities as Robert Redford and Francis Ford Coppola, are just a few of the many well-known participants in a diverse group of land trust supporters who are help- ing to protect Napa’s endangered open spaces and unobstructed skyline.
Redford, who owns property in Calistoga, is a member of the trust’s advisory council and has been a host for its annual fundraiser, known as Feast of Eden. “We don’t have the luxury of waiting when it comes to conserving our natural resources,” he said in support of a recent acquisition. “When the land is gone, it’s gone.”
The land trust works to secure property in three ways. Some land is earmarked with conservation easements, meaning it can be farmed and many acres are in vineyard production-but will never be developed. Some property has been donated outright to the trust and is designated as open space. Other land is purchased on behalf of the trust.
Dunn spearheaded the latest acquisition: 3,000 acres in the hills, including 4.5 miles of skyline. He and a group of passionate volunteers spent six months furiously hustling to raise $22.4 million for Wildlake Ranch. The deal was sealed last summer and is one of the more important recent acquisitions for the trust.

When Dunn, owner of Dunn Vineyards in Angwin, heard that the Wildlake Ranch club was going to be listed for sale, he moved into high gear to convince environmentally minded Napans to donate money to buy the land, which otherwise would have been carved up into about 18 home lots. “It’s 3,000 acres in the hills, but it seems like 10,000 acres because it’s surrounded by completely undeveloped area and it covers 4.5 miles of skyline,” says Dunn, an equestrian who used to ride on the property. “It matters because it’s certainly one of the largest pieces of unspoiled property around.”
The upper Napa Valley property, stretching from Calistoga to Angwin, is almost adjacent to Robert Louis Stevenson State Park. If the land trust succeeds with current efforts, it will acquire a small parcel linking Wildlake to the park. John Hoffnagle, executive director of the land trust, anticipates the park system will ultimately agree to manage Wildlake, opening it to the public for recreation and environmental study. A dramatic mosaic containing dozens of types of vegetation, the property is regarded as a rich example of biodiversity, with woodlands, chaparral, and grasslands. There are year-round springs, five miles of perennial streams, and a four-acre man-made lake.
In addition to private donations, Wildlake was financed by a $5 million grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, $2 million from the California Coastal Conservancy, and a $5 million loan from the Packard Foundation. In a magnanimous gesture, Dunn took out a $5 million personal loan to help reach the $22.4 million goal.
With changes in federal law amounting to enhanced tax benefits for land owners, the land trust is steaming ahead with its push to get residents to designate easements before a two-year tax credit window expires at the end of 2007. Beckstoffer, who has nine separate vineyards on 1,000 acres in Napa, has been another huge supporter of the trust and has protective easements on several properties. He set up a conservation easement on his 89-acre Beckstoffer To Kalon vineyard, a historic property first planted with grapes in 1868 and known for its yield of high-quality cabernet sauvignon. He says the tax incentive is helpful, but his primary motivation was environmental protection of the Napa Valley. “You decide what you want to leave to your family when you’re gone,” he says. “You can leave a bag of money or something more important. We think it’s important to eliminate the risk the property will be developed. It’s what we want to do with a lot of our land.”

Vineyard owners and other farm property owners across the country have 15
months to take advantage of a potentially large tax break if they’re willing to dedicate their land to agricultural uses for…well, forever. A measure signed by President Bush on Aug. 17 allows individual and corporate farmers, ranchers and foresters to qualify for larger tax deductions than ever before-and deductions that have a longer shelf life than ever before-when they grant conservation easements on their properties to land trusts. A grower in this situation retains title to the land, continues to farm it and can still sell it or pass it on to an heir, but receives a tax deduction that for some might mean zeroing out their federal income taxes for up to 15 years.
The window of opportunity remains open only until the end of 2007, so growers and estate winery owners who might benefit from this new measure would be smart to focus on the possibilities now. One who already has is Andy Beckstoffer of Napa Valley-based Beckstoffer Vine- yards. He campaigned in Washington, D.C., for the measure, and just five days after the president signed the legislation, he gave a conservation easement on 89 acres of the historic To Kalon vineyard in Oakville to The Land Trust of Napa County. The To Kalon easement is Beckstoffer’s third such donation. Since 2003, he also has granted easements on his 44-acre Carneros Creek Vineyard and his 40-acre Beckstoffer Vineyard X. Beckstoffer and California Congressman Mike Thompson, who spearheaded the new tax incentives in the House Ways and Means Committee, announced the To Kalon donation jointly in a press conference at the vineyard in August.
Now that agricultural property owners can deduct the value of a conservation easement in amounts up to 100% of their adjusted gross income, grapegrowers have something to balance against the equity they could tap if they sold their properties to commercial or residential developers. But committing to a conservation easement takes growers with vision, those who would like to know that their vineyards will bear fruit beyond their lifetimes, and who accept that despite the tax breaks, conservation easements do come with a price.
Here’s a summary for Wines & Vines readers about who is in the best position to profit from the tax incentives, and how they work.
First, a property must qualify as a legitimate candidate for a conser- vation easement. Some properties qualify because of historic designa- tions, some because they will be opened to public use or because they add to scenic public views. A farm property can also qualify if a conser- vation easement serves a federal, state or local policy goal of preserving open space, preserving wildlife or habitat, or simply preserving farm- land. Many counties in California and elsewhere have such policies, and the state of California does, too, in the form of the Williamson Act of 1965. So it’s relatively easy for a vineyard to qualify.
Second, the benefits of the new law. are greatest for farmers and ranchers. who get at least half of their gross income from farming or ranching. An individual owner in this category can take a deduction for a conservation easement up to 100% of his or her adjusted gross income for the year, and a corporation can take up to 100% of taxable income for the year. Nonqualified agricultural property owners those who make less than 50% of their income from farming- can still deduct up to 50%. The deductions have a 15-year carry- forward. This means that an allow-
able deduction more than the amount applicable in one year can be saved for later tax returns. The cap formerly was 30% for all land- owners, and the carry-forward period was just five years.

Corporations Benefit, Too
In the grapegrowing business, some vineyards are corporate-owned, including family-run vineyards that have incorporated. Corporations that donate a conservation easement get an even more-improved tax break than individuals under the new rules. Previously, corporations could only deduct up to 10% of their taxable income from a conservation ease- ment; now the deduction limit for qualified corporate farmers (those that derive 50% or more of their income from farming) rises to 100%. Family wineries with estate vineyards often form one corporation to own the winery, and another to own the vineyard. “If you have it that way,” Beckstoffer says, “you can probably qualify for the 100% deduction as a grower, and if you don’t have it that way, you can make it that way.”
A grower investigating the possibility should speak to a lawyer and or tax professional experienced with land conservation early in the process, says Russ Shays, director of public policy for the Land Trust Alliance in
Washington, D.C., a group that represents more than 1,500 land trusts across the country and welcomes the new rules.
Then the grower needs a partner to hold the conservation easement in perpetuity, and ensure that the conditions of the easement are met. In many cases that is a land trust. Shays recommends finding a local organization that has experience and that the owner will like working with for the long haul.
Beckstoffer chose to work with the Land Trust of Napa County, which has 46,000 acres under conservation easements now, and which is one of the most active local land trusts in the country. He is also a board member of the organization. He went to Washington, D.C., to push for the expansion of the incentives, and joined with Rep. Mike Thompson in the efforts.
“Andy Beckstoffer and I have been talking about this for a long time,” says Thompson, whose 1st Congressional District includes most of California’s vineyards north of San Francisco. “He put legs under it and campaigned for it.”
“This provision does more to preserve agricultural lands in the long term than any currently available zoning laws can,” says Beckstoffer, whose vineyard holdings are among Napa County’s largest and most visible. “It truly allows us to be better stewards of the land, ensuring our country’s farmland is available for future generations.”
Committed to Open Space Thompson says the measure is designed for “anybody who is committed and passionate about both agriculture and open space-and they’re not mutually exclusive. Nationally, agriculture is a core component of our economy and our American heritage, and we have lost thousands of acres of agricultural lands to urban sprawl over the past decade. It is imperative that we find new solutions for protecting these invaluable areas.”
At the Land Trust of Napa County, Jamie Keene, the development director, emphasizes that donating a conservation easement is not the same as donating the land. It allows the landowners to stay on the property, to continue farming it, to pass it on to heirs and even to sell it. What they give up are the development rights. A conservation easement means that both the current and subsequent property owners will have to abide by the terms of the easement and keep the property in agriculture.
“It’s safe to say that the phone has been ringing a lot more here,” since the new rules were signed, Keene says. “It’s a tax incentive that doesn’t get a whole lot better. This won’t change people’s hearts, but for anyone who’s ever considered preserving their property, I think that right now is really the time.”
Appraising Your Assets After talking with an attorney, a grower wishing to take advantage of a conservation easement needs to get a good appraisal of the property. It’s critical, because the tax deductions are based on the value of the donation, which the law defines as the difference between the property’s fair market value before and after it’s protected. Before, the value may be dramatically affected by its potential to be used for homes, factories or
development is prohibited, except sometimes for family members’ homes, expansion of farm buildings and other controlled improvements.
Shay of the Land Trust Alliance says the farmers most likely to reap the greatest benefits are the ones under the most financial pressure to sell their properties for a nonagricultural use. A typical case might involve a grower or rancher in an area where land values have risen quickly. “It’s good for a rancher who knows that his property is now worth $1 million, but he’s only making $50,000 a year from it. He says he’d love to see the property stay this way, but he can’t afford not to sell it. The farm conservation easements were designed for people in that situation.” Growers who look only at the bottom line may not be interested, Shay added. “You always make more money by selling it to a developer. There’s nothing you’re going to do about that. But for people interested in land preservation and protecting
important natural values, it provides a way of getting a perhaps substantial reward.”
The new tax incentives apply only to easements granted in 2006 and 2007. The rules are retroactive to the beginning of 2006. The champions of the new rules plan to push for an extension of that time period, but there is no guarantee they will succeed. Since a decision of this importance takes time to make, and an easement takes time to arrange, growers who would like to preserve their vineyards for posterity in exchange for some tax relief should start investigating their options very soon.
(For more information: call Andy Beckstoffer at 707-963-9471; see Ita.org, the Land Trust Alliance site; napalandtrust.org, the Land Trust of Napa County site; stevesmall.com, the website of an attorney and author who specializes in preserving family lands. To comment on this story, e-mail edit@winesandvines.com.)

Andy Beckstoffer, owner of Beckstoffer Vineyards, the largest independent family-owned vineyard company on California’s North Coast, is a man with a vision that has been instrumental in preserving the land of the Napa Valley and elevating the status for the grape growers.

He’s one of the largest grape growers and continually finds innovative ways to improve the quality of the grape crop. The youthful looking 66-year old is passionate about the Valley he has called home since the 1960’s. He and his wife of 45-years have raised five children, including son, David, who is president of the farming company.
Napa Valley Life Magazine’s Kari Ruel sat down with Beckstoffer and talked to him about his contribution to this Valley.
NVL: You have led a colorful life and that’s excit- ing. You’re considered by many to be a pioneer in the wine business.
Beckstoffer: It has been exciting. The thing is I pinch myself all the time. I came to the Napa Valley in 1969 so there are not many of us veter- ans left. I guess, I was fortunate enough to come here very young.
NVL: You were on a football scholarship to a school in Virginia. There were not a lot of winer ies in Virginia, what influenced you to get into the wine business at such an early age?
Beckstoffer: My MBA was in finance so I got the job back in the 60’s to analyze the California wine business for this corporation from a finan- cial point of view. Then I got the job of coming out and negotiating the purchase of these busi- nesses. They had a real hot-shot president of the company then and he asked me to come with him so, all of a sudden I was in California. We found ourselves in a position where we owned wineries, but we didn’t have enough grapes so the company asked me to get grapes.
NVL: You fell into the wine business then?
Beckstoffer: I fell into the wine business from a financial point of view, but then came the farming business. I had analyzed myself into the wine business, but in the farming business I found I liked the growers. I liked the earth and working with my hands. Then there was oppor- tunity to buy a farming company for the company I was working for. I asked them to sell me the farming company as entrepreneurial opportunity and do my own thing with people I liked in this place (Napa Valley).
NVL: You’re a big advocate of preserving old vineyards and open land. How did that all unfold?
Beckstoffer. To be totally fair about all this, when I first came, I saw the land as an asset to be exploited for business purposes. We would be more efficient in growing grapes. We would bring in the latest technology, but it was an asset like anyone would have an asset in their busi- ness. But then over the years, I believed the land besides being a business asset, was a national
treasure that needed to be preserved. The more you are around here, the more you realize that. I don’t want anyone to write on my tombstone he made a lot of money. I would love for them to write on my tombstone he was a good stew- ard of the land and he helped preserve it for future generations. We’re all just passing through. Whether it’s ten, fifteen, twenty-years or beyond; we have a certain passage to hope- fully make, where ever you are, better than you found it. That’s not making some money off it, that’s preserving it when you are dealing with a place like the Napa Valley.
NVL: You’re one of the largest landowners in the Napa Valley. How much land have you acquired?
Beckstoffer: We’re not the largest, but we’re the largest family ownership of land in the County. Then we own property in Lake and Mendocino County as a family not as a corpora- tion. We would be one of the three top land
owners.
NVL: How much does that represent in terms of acreage?
Beckstoffer: It’s not that big relatively speak- ing. The average ownership of land is something in the twenty acre range. We own a thousand acres. That sounds big, but how much you own is not the important thing, we own some of the most historic vineyards and I believe, some of the best vineyard land in the Napa Valley, which produces some of the best fruit. To make land valuable, you have to ask; does it produce good fruit and does it have some historical signifi- cance?
NVL: What kind of history are you looking for? Beckstoffer: Go back and look at the prop- erty we have that was formerly owned by Dr. George Belden Crane in 1859. Look at the history of the Napa Valley, the two real people who were the founders of the Napa Valley were Crane and Charles Krug, Crane in the vineyards and Krug in the winery. Then you look at Tokalon and Hamilton Crab in 1868 and the piece we’re standing on was bought in 1928 and has produced great Cabernets forever. They have the kind of history that we talk about. I’m part of an organization called the historic registry of Napa Valley Vineyards. There were over 18- thousand acres of vineyards planted in Napa County in 1891, but not all land owners were as famous as Crane or Crab. Now I wanted to take modern technology and make it the best for the 21st century where they made it the best for the 19th century.
NVL. You have now been a part of the Napa Valley for forty plus years and have witnessed a huge shift in the wine environment of the Valley from fourteen wineries in the 1960’s to over 300 wineries today. In recent years, we’ve seen an influx of corporate ownership of former family- owned wineries. How do you perceive that will affect the look and feel of the Napa Valley?
Beckstoffer: The Napa Valley is so strong. The basic culture, the real soul of the Napa Valley is so long that no big corporations will hurt this Valley for very long and they could very well help it. The heart and soul of the Napa Valley is the people who are here and how they feel about their valley. No zoning ordi- nance will change that, no political corporation; no corporation will affect what you’ll find. If you scratch the surface a little bit, you will find the same Napa Valley that was there and was very agricultural. What’s happened around here is its very difficult, some people would say to do business here, build a winery, a vineyard or a restaurant. It’s not impossible and only the best succeed so we have the best of the best in terms of vineyards, in terms of wineries, in terms of restaurants and they have found a way to succeed. We had a saying in the 70’s, you never let the sun set on the tourist. We let them come taste our wines, but we gave them no place to eat or sleep and we preserved our Valley that way, but that’s not the case anymore. The hospitality business, the inns and the restaurants are now equal in quality to our wines. The experience, which is Napa Valley, whether you are a resident or a visitor, is much better today. From the point of view of the vineyards, in the 70’s we were farmers, today we’re viticulturalists.
Today, we don’t just farm; we understand the technology of this business. Grape growing is a hard business. It takes up to 20-years to see the fruits of our labor, we can’t make mistakes. If you grow strawberries and you do something wrong, you can plant a new batch next year and will have fruit that year.
NVL: You have reputation as the man who knows exactly when to pick the grapes. How did you acquire that? What kind of training did you have or were you self taught?
Beckstoffer: I am part of team and we have a great professional team that is here that is oriented to the science of viticulture as well as the art of viticulture. If you have been around grapes long enough, you will know when they are ready. You can do all your measurements, but in the end, you have to look and feel what’s right and that only comes from experience and paying attention to the details. It takes more
than one set of eyes and one brain. It takes a team all looking at it and communicating with each other. The winemaker also has a lot to say about when to pick the grapes. We have to be the farmer, but we listen to everyone. Some people we pay attention to and some we don’t. (Big smile.)
NVL: What are you projecting for this year’s crop?
Beckstoffer: This year it’s not going to be so large, but at this point (mid summer) there are not many things that tell you what the crop quality is going to be. One of the things to look at is the length of bloom. Grapes are male and female and they have to match, with a bloom time before it sets. If the bloom is stretched out, then the maturity will also be stretched out. So the grapes that bloomed here will be different in maturity than the grapes that bloomed there, but at some point, you pick them all in one particular vineyard. If the bloom time is fairly compacted, the range of quality at
harvest is going to be much tighter and of a better quality. We have had a tight bloom season. So what that says to me now is that the possibility of a truly great quality crop is good. Heat spikes could affect that. The vines look great because of all the water we had last winter. We’re into a glorious season.
NVL: What has been your biggest challenge over the years?
Beckstoffer: The biggest challenge over the years, I think, is to really improve the lot of the grape grower. I mean that from a social, politi- cal and economic point of view. The question people ask me over and over again is why I don’t start a winery. I don’t want a winery. That’s not my thing. I am proud to be a grower. In the 1970’s, it was clear that the wineries
were the first class citizens. The grape growers were second class citizens and the workers were third class. I don’t think the farm workers are third class citizens anymore. We understand what they bring to the party. I don’t think the grape growers are second class citizens anymore. We are now listened to. We have a seat at the table and it happened greatly through the Grape Growers Association.
NVL: You were one of the founding members of the Grape Growers Association and are known as a visionary. Talk about that.
Beckstoffer: I would say that is one of the things I am proudest of. In 1975, a group of us came together and basically said we are not being paid. We are not being respected. Nobody in the community knew who we were so we needed to form an organization and in those days, the purpose was to raise the social, political and economic status of the grape growers. We needed a seat at the table. Now once you get a seat at the table, you have certain responsibilities to act responsible and we’ve done that too. I was amazed that people who had a love of wine and who grew grapes didn’t know each other. I tend to know everybody. People are the great assets, but if they don’t talk to each other, share ideas, what’s the deal. Plus, it’s a much more fun life if you know people.
By adopting and promoting the technol- ogy of growing grapes, bringing us into the 21st century and taking advantage of all that there is, grape growers played a big part in that.
If you ask a grape grower what their most prize possession is they will say their land. If you ask an entrepreneur was his most valuable thing is, he will say people. In that aspect, we are entrepreneurs. We have always treated our people that way. I am distressed that the Upper Valley and the City of Napa have never understood each other better. We need people to people on that and I think to some extent we have made some impact through the Grape Growers Association.
NVL: What’s your vision for the future; first, for your company and second for the Napa Valley?
Beckstoffer: The vision for the company is to do a better job with what we have rather than to expand; to make our grapes better and to get people to understand the value of the vineyards and how they are being used. If the vineyards are not important, then there is no point in preserving them. It’s important to us, the company and to me personally, that vine- yards become important and be preserved. The only way to do that is to make them economically sustainable.
Napa Valley, contrary to what people
think about a few corporations coming in, is going to be a Valley of small to medium winer- ies and small to medium growers. All person- ally trying to do a better job growing their grapes and making their wines well and promoting themselves. Land values will increase and then level off and then increase. I don’t see any real decline in land values.
There is too little of it and too much real value here. I believe most people who work here, if they could afford it, would work for nothing because they love this valley that much. We not only love the Valley, we like it so we want to keep it that way. I have to pinch myself, that here in 2006, 60-miles from San Francisco, we have preserved this Valley. We have preserved it through the dot-commers, though everybody else who wanted to throw money at everything you can think of. I love to travel, but I always love to come home. This Valley is so receiving.
NVL: We don’t want to really talk about age, but you are one of the older grape growers in the Valley. What are you going to do to preserve your vast knowledge? Will there be a book? You have so much to share.
Beckstoffer: I am just going to talk to you. (Smile) I love to talk to people in their 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s and if I can impart to them one on one and see in the eyes the reaction to what I have to say, that is far more rewarding, then having a book.
NVL: What is something this Valley doesn’t know about you?
Beckstoffer. I’m into horses. I love my horse and being outside. I have a Morgan
horse and a donkey. I’m into the natural horsemanship or the horse whisper type of style where you deal with love rather than fear.
Marathon running used to be a big love of mine. I’m still into exercise and staying in shape. I broke my leg seven months ago skydiving, but I learned two things from that. It made me more sensitive to everything and less aggressive.
NVL: More sensitive? Did your horse whis- perer philosophy have anything to do with that as well? Relating to animals, how is that simi- lar to relating to the land?
Beckstoffer. It helps with dealing with the people. Horses respond more than you know
to your compassion. They are herd animals so they want to be part of you and you want to be part of the herd just like you want to be part of the people. A horse can be very calm standing by himself and all of a sudden, he gets excited when you come around. It’s you, you are the problem, and the horse isn’t the problem. So, if you understand that about most people, it’s you that is the problem because when they were by themselves, they were okay. Then there is fear. You can make people do things and then you have to stay up all night worrying if they actually did it. But, if you approach people and animals with love, then all of sudden they want to be with you and you don’t have to worry if they are going to do it or not.
NVL: How long have you come from the point of love? Even on your website, it describes you as a shrewd businessman.
Beckstoffer. I don’t think that’s exclusive. I believe you can work hard and be shrewd and be successful and also be kind and sensi- tive. I would hope over the years people would describe me as fair. It’s like the people who sold me their land, they sold it cheap, but there was no other buyer. I work hard, but I work smart. I so respect the families around here. I would love for my family to be part of that legacy
NVL: How do you want to be remembered? Beckstoffer: I was described in Gourmet Magazine’s February, 2006 issue and this is what the author said “Andy Beckstoffer has changed the economics of high end viticul- ture, but his true legacy will be as a steward of the land.” I would be proud to be known as a “steward of the land.”

Our congratulations to his family for preserving part of the famed To Kalon Vineyard last week. Beckstoffer is the latest in a series of landowners who have decided to preserve prime agricultural land by signing conservation easements with the Land Trust of Napa County.

Since the Land Trust was formed in 1976, it has permanently protected nearly 50,000 approximately one
acres tenth of Napa County- thanks to the generosity of dozens of people who have given land or the money need- ed to buy it.
The protected land includes 20,000 acres covered by conservation easements with private landowners, including nearly 10,000 acres of privately owned vineyards.
The conservation easement will allow Beckstoffer and his family and their heirs to grow and sell grapes. In return for not developing the land, the family will get significant tax benefits.
The new federal law, which was signed by President George W. Bush on Aug. 17 and is effective through 2007. allows qualifying farmers and ranchers to deduct up to 100 percent of their adjusted gross income and to carry over their deductions for as many as 15 years. Congressman Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena), who is a vineyard owner himself, pushed this law with the additional deductions through the House and Senate.
The famed To Kalon Vineyard was first planted in 1868 by Hamilton Crabb. Currently Beckstoffer owns 89
acres, Mondavi owns 250 acres and UC Davis owns the remaining 20 acres of the original 359-acre vineyard. It is good, historic land to protect from development and during the ceremony last week, Beckstoffer challenged his friends, neighbors and fellow vineyard owners to put con- servation easements on their land.
By looking forward, past his own life and past the lives of his children and grandchildren, Beckstoffer and other grapegrowers who have signed conservation ease- ments are making sure the Napa Valley of the future remains an agricultural valley
that when people work here and visit here they will see vineyards, not housing developments, subdivisions or factories belching smoke. The grapegrower has put two other vineyards into conservation easements and has plans to put conservation easements on all 10 of his Napa Valley vineyards. For this, he should be honored and thanked.
But there’s a hitch to pre- serving land. The new law, with its generous tax benefits, is only good for the rest of this year and next. That means if you want to get this done and take the tax bene- fits, you’d best do it now. We urge you to do so.
Contact John Hoffnagle, the executive director of the Land Trust, at 252-0435 to set up a conservation easement.

“Napa Valley is the poster child for this law, there’s no doubt about it,” said Napa Valley grapegrower Andy Beckstoffer.

He was one of three speakers at a Tuesday press conference in Oakville heralding the significance and benefits of a new federal law which offers tax incentives to farmers who agree to continue farming their land rather than developing it.

Beckstoffer has signed a conservation easement for the 89-acre To Kalon vineyard which will forever prevent a winery or homes from being built upon it.
During the next 16 months the law allows other farmers to step up as Beckstoffer did and donate similar conservation easements.
A conservation easement is legal restriction that a landowner places on his or her property to define and limit the type of development that may take place there. Generally, conservation ease- ments are donated to a non- profit organization, like The Land Trust of Napa County, which carries the responsibili- ty to inspect the land periodi- cally and enforce the restric- tions in perpetuity.
Congressman Thompson (D.-Calif.) was instrumental in securing approval of the bill which President George W. Bush signed into law August 17.
Beckstoffer made several trips to Washington, D.C., to lobby for the legislation.
Thompson said every minute two acres of agricultur- al land is lost in this country. “This is bad for the environ- ment, and it’s bad for local government,” he said. “It’s important we do everything we can to make sure agricul- ture is a strong partner in our district,” he commented.
Thompson said the law will help protect all kinds of land all over the nation — from cran- berry bogs to timber bearing
tracts. Because Napa Valley has strong existing protections for agricultural land, he said the county is seen as the “poster child” for the effort which is gathering momentum throughout the nation. Thompson announced after the press conference he was heading to Missouri to speak with representatives of the wine industry developing in that state about Napa Valley’s and its “visionary” concepts and practices.
“This donation will pre- serve Napa Valley’s most his- toric and prestigious vineyard forever. It is our way of giving back to the community, and it is really good business. You get to keep the land in the fam- ily and you get to keep it in farming,” said Beckstoffer of his To Kalon conservation easement. “I hope it encour- ages my friends and neighbors to put their prime vineyard land in conservation easements.”
Beckstoffer purchased To Kalon, located on the west side of Highway 29 opposite Opus One, in 1993.
The 89-acre parcel was part of the original To Kalon vine- yard first planted by Hamilton ignated as a “test run” for the
Crab in 1869.
Other owners of the original To Kalon vineyard are The Mondavi Winery and the University of California at Davis.
In the 1880s, the wines pro- duced by Crabb ranked among Napa Valley’s top vintages.
To Kalon has continued to produce some of the Napa Valley’s most sought-after wines ever since, and its name
is one of the most recognized vineyards in California.
John Hoffnagle, executive director of The Land Trust of Napa County, explained the role of The Land Trust as the agency qualified and prepared to accept and administer the contracts that delineate conservation easements.
He explained that 10 per- or 50,000 acres of cent Napa Valley is already protect- ed from development. Of that land 20,000 acres are covered by conservation easements.
Hoffnagle said the goal of The Land Trust is to secure as many as 50,000 more acres in easements over the next 16 months which have been designated as a ‘test run’ for the new federal law.
He stressed that Measure J (the Ag Preserve) is certain only until 2020 and urged the public and landowners to think about the land in terms longer than 10 to 20 years.
“Sometimes we get compla- cent because life is so good here,” he commented.
The new law extends the carry-forward period for tax deductions for voluntary con- servation agreements from 5 to 15 years and raises the cap on those deductions from 30 per- cent of a donor’s adjusted gross income to 50 percent and to 100 percent for qualifying farmers and ranchers.
These new terms allow farmers, ranchers and other modest-income landowners to get a larger benefit for donat- ing valuable development rights to their land.

Part of the first vineyard in the Napa Valley, the famed To Kalon Vineyard, will be preserved for future generations.

On Tuesday morning Andy Beckstoffer, owner of the vineyard, presented a conservation easement for the 89-acre parcel to John Hoffnagle, executive director of the Land Trust of Napa County. During the presentation Beckstoffer said, “In 1868, Hamilton Crabb planted the first vineyard here. We’re now finishing what he started with our stewardship of the land and a conservation easement that promises to preserve this property to agriculture forever.”
Joining Beckstoffer and Hoffnagle was Congressman Mike Thompson (D-St. Hele- na), who spearheaded efforts in Congress to pass new tax pro- visions for conservation ease- ments. Congress passed the bill on Aug. 5 and President George W. Bush signed it on Aug. 17. The bill increases tax deductions available to farm- ers, ranchers and other landowners who donate their
property for conservation pur- poses. The landowners contin- ue to own and manage the land, but give up development rights.
To Beckstoffer, the newly enacted tax incentives, which allow landowners to write off 100 percent of their income. over 16 years, will allow more land to be protected in the future than in the past. He said, “For us, it’s not enough to grow great grapes. You have to take care of your people and the environment and you have to preserve the land. I hope the donation of To Kalon will moti- vate my friends and neighbors to put their prime vineyard land in conservation easements.” Hoffnagle called the new bill “a significant boost for our con- servation efforts and a landmark achievement.” But, he added, the tax incentives and the bill are only good for 2006-07. “It’s a test run for the next 16 months. We have to show this is going to provide a significant protection for land,” he said. “The Land Trust is thrilled to be a part of that effort.”
Currently 10 percent or about 20,000 acres of Napa County is preserved through conservation easements through The Land Trust, but most of it is not prime vineyard land. Hoffnagle said the agency’s goal is to protect an additional 1,000 acres of prime ag land by the year 2010, but added, 5,000 to 10,000 acres is entirely possible. “The benefits are profound,” he said.
Thompson, who was on his way to Missouri to campaign for a fellow Democrat, spoke briefly during the morning cere- mony. “I believe conservation easements are one of the most important tools we have for ensuring our farmland is pro- tected from uncontrolled devel- opment. Today, we have taken an important step toward better protecting our economy, our environment and our rural com- munities.”
The 89-acre To Kalon Vine- yard is the third vineyard that Beckstoffer has put into conser- vation easements; the others are his 44-acre Carneros Creek Vineyard and his 40-acre Beck- stoffer Vineyard X. He said his goal is to put all 10 of his Napa Valley vineyards into conserva- tion easements.
Besides Beckstoffer Vine- yard’s parcel, Mondavi owns 250 acres of the original 359- acre To Kalon Vineyard and UC Davic owns the remaining 20 acres.

One of Napa County’s historic vineyards will remain agricultural forever.

Grape grower Andy Beckstoffer on Tuesday said that he is donating his 89-acre parcel of the original To Kalon vineyard in Oakville to the Land Trust of Napa County, reaping the benefits of a new law President Bush signed last week.

“It will always be agricultural land,” said Beckstoffer about the vineyard first planted by H.W. Crabb in 1868.

“What (Crabb) started, we will finish,” Beckstoffer told a group of reporters at his vineyard that borders Highway 29 at a press conference attended by Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, and John Hoffnagle, executive director of the Land Trust of Napa County. Beckstoffer gives up the right to develop the property but will continue to farm the land.

Thompson, who spearheaded efforts to pass new tax deductions through Congress, believes the new rules will provide greater incentives to preserve agricultural lands.

“We lose two acres of agricultural land every minute across this country,” Thompson said.

That’s “bad” for agriculture, the environment and communities, he said.

“Whenever you have sprawl development, it costs local governments a lot more money to deliver services.”

The tax incentives allow farmers who enter into conservation agreements to deduct up to 100 percent of their adjusted gross income for as many as 15 years. Farmers have 16 months to enter into the agreement under these rules. Until now the cap was 30 percent for six years.

The Oakville vineyard, known for its cabernet sauvignon grapes, is in an agricultural preserve under Measure J, the initiative Napa County voters passed in 1990. Under Measure J, lands in agricultural preserves cannot be developed without a vote of the people.

The agricultural preserves are not permanent because Measure J sunsets in 2020, explained Hoffnagle.

He now wants to preserve 1,000 acres of the Napa Valley every year and hopes the recently passed tax incentives will be extended.

Beckstoffer, 66, who has owned the 89 acres since 1994, campaigned for the bill and hopes others will donate their lands for conservation.

“It’s good for business,” he said, referring to the new tax rules.

About 20,000 acres of land in Napa County is in conservation agreements with the Land Trust of Napa County, though most of it is not prime agricultural land like the To Kalon vineyard.

Since 1976 the Land Trust has worked with more than 50 landowners in Napa County to preserve nearly 20,000 acres of land through conservation easements. Vineyards are planted on 9 percent of the valley’s 500,000 acres — or about 49,000 acres.

Beckstoffer’s property may be the first property in the nation to be placed into a conservation agreement under the new rules, the speakers said.

A measure designed to help groups like the Land Trust of Napa County preserve open space has passed both the House of Representatives and the Senate, and awaits the president’s signature before becoming law.

Rep. Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena) issued a statement Friday hailing the Senate’s passage of the measure and praising local grapegrower Andy Beckstoffer for his role in advocating for the bill.

The measure expands tax deductions to landowners who donate their land for conservation purposes. Such donations, or conservation easements, are commonly sought by the Land Trust and similar groups. In exchange for promising to keep land from being developed, private property owners are given significant tax breaks.

“This measure is a landmark victory for pre- venting urban sprawl from swallowing up our nation’s remaining farming lands and open spaces,” Thompson said in a prepared statement. “By providing our farmers and ranchers with the opportunity to protect their land from develop- ment, we are taking a significant step toward pre- serving our country’s agricultural heritage and

improving the quality of our environment.” Thompson, who advocated for the measure in the House, said Beckstoffer, president of the Cali- fornia Association of Winegrape Growers, led grassroots efforts to increase the prospects for the bill’s passage.

“This could do as much topreserve the Napa Valley in the long term as the Agricultural Preserve ordinance itself,” said Beckstoffer, who owns more than 1,000 acres of grapes in Napa, Mendocino and Lake counties. “We are doing a good job of preserving the hillsides; this provision will give us the chance to preserve the trulypre- mium vineyard land as well.”

‘This provision is a significant boost for our conservationefforts,” said John Hoffnagle, executive director of the Land Trust of Napa County. “It is absolutely vital that we protect our agricultural land from development,and this oppor- tunity for landowners is a land- mark achievement.”

The law expands the current tax law by raising the cap for deductions by those who are not ranchers or farmers, and extends the carry-forward period for conservation easement deduc- tions from five to 15 years.

Andy Beckstoffer of Beckstoffer Vineyards will receive the Napa Valley Grapegrowers Grower of the Year award at organization’s dinner in St. Helena Friday. The award recognizes an individual who exhibits unparalleled leadership agricultural, best practices and innovation, industry advocacy and community involvement.

“Andy’s commitment to land stewardship, dedication to vineyard technology and ongoing efforts to elevate the social, political and economic status of grapegrowers in the Napa Valley has made him a role model in the wine industry and the community,” said Jennifer Kopp, executive director of the Napa Valley Grapegrowers.

Beckstoffer, whose Napa Val- ley grapegrowing career spans more than three decades, was an original founder of the Napa Valley Grapegrowers, a long- time director, and is a current advisor of the association. Most recently, he initiated and chaired the group’s Historic Vineyard Registry project and its highly successful Hang Time seminar series.

Beckstoffer Vineyards. supports sustainable grapegrowing and has been at the forefront of community-based projects with the, Napa County Resource Conservation District. A leader of land preservation, he has donated conservation easements to the Land Trust of Napa County on his 40-acre Beck- stoffer Vineyard X and his 44- acre Carneros Creek Vineyard. Over time, he will donate ease- ments on 900 of his 1,000 acres of Napa Valley vineyard land.

Cocking his head, leading with his right nostril, Andy Beckstoffer buries his aquiline nose in a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon crafted from a single block of his vineyard Georges III, in the Rutherford appellation of California’s Napa Valley. His angle of approach is acute, intense, akin to that of a cleanup hitter leaning into a fastball. Beckstoffer swirls the wine, bobs, swirls. He sips, pulling the blue-black liquid across his tongue, chewing through the tannins, working his satchel of a mouth open and shut.
It’s spring in Napa, time to taste last September’s harvest. Gathered at a damask-draped table overlooking the barrel room at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Beckstoffer, his son David, and two of the men who manage his company’s North Coast vineyards are here to confer with vintner Nicki Pruss, who buys grapes from Beckstoffer for the Stag’s Leap Arte- mis, a Cabernet and Merlot blend that retails for around $50. Arranged in a semicircle are wineglasses filled with sam ples, and stacks of spreadsheets delineating sugar content, acidity level, berry weight, and other measures of the crush’s merit. When the 66-year-old Beckstoffer, arguably the most important grape grower in America, speaks, all eyes cant his way. “What do you think of the D block?” he asks in the man ner of a salesman come face-to-face with a make-or-break account. “I like what you’re doing with my grapes, but I want to know what you think.”
On first encounter, say, at a cocktail party, the Virginia born Beckstoffer may tell you, in a tone suited to such a gathering, that he’s a farmer. He comes by that mon- iker honestly: Beckstoffer owns, cultivates, and harvests more than 3,000 acres of vineyards north of San Francisco, in Napa, Mendocino, and Lake counties. But his approach to ag- riculture is not rooted in the gentleman-farmer tradition. Beck stoffer’s methods reflect the high stakes of wresting from prime Napa Valley farmland a yield of sufficient quality and tonnage that, depending on site and provenance, can bring more than $200,000 an acre. Like an agriwonk touting a silicon chip-enabled Jeffersonian ideal, Beckstoffer espouses sensor- controlled drip irrigation and GPS-directed microtractors fit- ted with weed triggers and herbicide guns as keys to keeping greenspaces in agricultural production. And, like the busi ness school graduate he is (Dartmouth, 1966), he believes in the transformative potential of innovation and measures suc- cess by hard-dollar determinates like return on capital.
Get to know Beckstoffer a bit better and he’ll drop the farmer façade and tell you that, no matter the jeans and tat- tersall shirt uniform, no matter the mud that cakes his boots, no matter the zeal with which he promotes agricultural pre- serves and conservation easements, he is more entrepreneur than agronomist. “Nothing to hide here.” he says. “Might as well be honest; I’m a businessman.”
Beckstoffer has not always focused solely on grape grow- ing. “I made wine for a short while,” he says, as he pilots his red Mercedes SUV north from Stag’s Leap along the Silvera- do Trail to the next grape-growing frontier, Lake County, where, amid a landscape pocked with junked cars and house trailers, he recently planted some 1,000 acres of Cabernet vines. “That was back in the late 1980s, but it didn’t work out. I knew pretty early on that making wine is not a logical ex- tension of growing grapes. I mean, is baking bread a logical
extension of raising wheat? And I realized that I didn’t like the wine-dinner thing, the people beckoning from across the room, asking me to sign their bottles. Better for me to do what I know-to raise the best grapes and work with wine- makers who believe that their wines should express the land on which the grapes were grown.”
As Beckstoffer motors up and over the ridges of Mount St. Helena, carving the hairpins, charging hard across the scarps, he warms to his pitch. “I can remember a time when winemakers said they alone were the ones who gave the wines their structure, their biceps and triceps,” he says. “Those were the days of what I call the ‘magic chef’ in the winery, work- ing with grapes and oak barrels, making his magic potions and coming up with wonderful vintages. I’m glad to say those days are just about gone. Grape growers are no longer second-class citizens. We’re now closer to being partners in the making of great wines-social and intellectual and finan- cial equals. A great change has come.”
Beckstoffer has been a catalyst for change in Napa Valley. Some would say the primary catalyst. He arrived in the late 1960s, in search of acquisitions for Heublein Corporation, a conglomerate whose claims to fame were the manufacture of Smirnoff vodka and A.1. sauce. At Beckstoffer’s urging, Heu- blein bought two of the most prestigious wineries of the day, Inglenook and Beaulieu Vineyards, and set in motion a series of events that, by way of a leveraged buyout and legerdemain, landed Beckstoffer in control of an independent farm company that grew premium grapes for California winemakers. Along the way, he brokered a boycott settlement with the United Farm Workers union and, as a memento, walked away with a bottle of Inglenook Chardonnay signed by César Chávez.
But life in Napa was not altogether simpatico. Owing to his brash style and corporate imprimatur, Beckstoffer was seen by some as one of the barbarians massing at the gates of an enological paradise. “Those were the days when I saw land as an asset to be exploited.” he says, recognizing the hubris that animated his early career. “Now I understand that land is a natural resource to be preserved.”
In that recognition, in that psychological transformation. one can trace the arc of Andy Beckstoffer’s career-and the fate of North Coast agriculture. Like many Napa Valley ar- rivistes of the late 1960s and early 1970s, Beckstoffer con- verted to the gospel of land preservation with the fervor of a sinner struck down by a bolt of lightning.
While serving on the Napa County Planning Commission, he worked to increase the minimum parcel size for lands with- in the agricultural preserve to 40 acres. While president of the Napa Valley Grapegrowers, he proposed and successfully defended a directive that wineries doing business within that same agricultural preserve must use at least three quarters Napa Valley grapes. Meanwhile, Beckstoffer was compiling a real-estate portfolio of the best vineyard land in California- and pondering the benefits of enlightened self-interest.
“I’ve learned that sustainability requires more than envi- ronmental sensitivity,” says Beckstoffer, seated at a redwood picnic table with a view of the rumpled carpet of Cabernet vines that roll through this new Red Hills appellation. “To keep land in agriculture, you must produce a rate of return that keeps developers at bay.”
Since the mid-1980s, Beckstoffer has been obsessed with this idea, advancing numerous strategies to ensure that he and his fellow winegrowers will thrive, even as land prices skyrocket and climatic vacillations take their toll. With an eye toward future profits, Beckstoffer bought undervalued land, the most striking example of which is his conversion of a decommissioned mental institution in upstate Mendocino to the growing of grapes. But he has found his métier in sell ing winemakers and consumers on the value of prime real estate like To Kalon Vineyard, in cultivation since the 1860s and one of the most storied plots in the Napa Valley. Using the land as his basis, Beckstoffer has built his own brand. Winemakers and in-the-know consumers have come to ex- pect that a bottle crafted from Beckstoffer-cropped grapes and blazoned with “Beckstoffer Vineyards” will earn 90- something scores from übercritic Robert Parker.
“The goal is to reinforce the idea of Napa as the brand,” Beckstoffer says. “That’s the rationale behind vineyard des ignation, to teach consumers about the land that gave birth to their wine.” It’s also what motivates the Registry of Historic Napa Valley Vineyards-another Beckstoffer-led initiative, best understood as an accounting of properties first planted in grapes more than a century past. “Soon,” he says, “every- one will know that the history of Napa Valley winemaking extends back to the 1880s, not the 1970s.”
As any good businessperson knows, first you establish value; then you set a price. With value established, Beckstof fer has, of late, focused his attention on a coup de théâtre of two complementary pricing strategies. Like strong medi- cine, they don’t go down easy, but Beckstoffer is convinced they are the key to the survival of North Coast agriculture.
The first, an idea Beckstoffer has been flogging since the late 1970s, is the bottle-price formula. The principle is that
the value of the grapes should reflect the value of the bottle of wine in which they end up not last year’s commodity price. “It’s based on a series of historical calculations,” says Beckstoffer. “But it works out to a grape price per ton of a hundred times the retail price of a single bottle.”
Among the converts to Beckstoffer’s way of thinking is Paul Hobbs, whose recently released 2002 Cabernet made from Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard grapes fetches more than $250 per bottle. “When I pay that kind of price, I get a grower who is intensely committed to my success,” says Hobbs, reached by cellphone while stalking another Napa Valley vineyard. “The grower becomes my partner. And that’s just what I want,” says the man who, on the basis of Beckstoffer’s formula, faced down a $25,000 per ton grape bill in a market where $4,000 per ton is the average.
Hobbs has not wholly embraced the second prong of Beck- stoffer’s pricing model, a percentage bonus paid to growers who, at the behest of winemakers in search of elevated sugar levels, more intense taste, and higher scores from critics, take the risk of leaving grapes on the vine until they begin to dehydrate. “I’m not fond of all of Andy’s ideas,” says Hobbs. “And I told him as much. So we figured out another way to share the burden of risk. But we will share it; we’re partners, both of us deeply invested in making great wine.”
T
ruth be told, Beckstoffer knows what Nicki Pruss of Stag’s Leap thinks of his grapes. He always has. And now he knows what Paul Hobbs thinks, too. Such stat- ure, especially in the eyes of Hobbs, one of the most celebrated winemakers in the world, is a good measure of a life’s work in the vineyards.
But Beckstoffer says this will not be his legacy. Nor will the bottle-price formula. “I believe in this place, in much the same way that I believe in the land itself,” he says, his hand wrapped around a glass of 2002 Double Diamond Beckstof- fer Amber Knolls Vineyard, made from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes grown here in Lake County. As is his habit, Beckstoffer leans into the glass, right nostril first, his body tensing with the effort. His eyes fix upon the horizon. Forty five miles south, in Napa Valley proper, lies the hallowed ground of To Kalon Vine- yard. In the foreground, Amber Knolls Vineyard unspools before him.
“What has America contributed to the world?” he asks, reveling in the role of elder statesman, his voice tinged with bravado. “Jazz, maybe movies. That’s about it. If we could make the finest wine in the world, that would be good. Maybe you could sleep on that.”

It takes both commitment and dedication to become a leader in your industry. You’ll find some examples of this hard work in American/Western Fruit Grower’s Top Grape Growers report, sponsored by Makhteshim Agan of North America. This list is based on and ranked according to wine, table, and raisin grape acreage owned or leased by one company that is responsible for maintaining it. By making the right decisions and using their resources effectively, these growers have worked their way up to become the largest operations in the industry. Within this report, you’ll also learn more about how the success of some of these companies is a reflection of American/Western Fruit Grower’s CROP Initiative. We’ll take a close look at each of the four compo- nents of CROP, and the strategies the companies are taking with regard to each of them. These companies have used elements of the CROP initiative to develop successful grape and wine operations.
Of course, there are other areas for you to learn as well. Within each component, we’ve also listed additional resources and Web sites you can use to incorporate CROP into your own business. Whether they are universities or associations, these resources can provide valuable assistance.

Commit To Quality

• Jason Smith, Valley Farm Management, Soledad, CA: “We are actively seeking a better relationship and communication with our cust- omers, local wineries. By spending more time in the field with cust- omers, we are able to understand and deliver exactly what they need.” • Mike Burden, Lent-Burden Farming, Modesto, CA: “We have partic- ipated in numerous trials to improve quality, while at the same time attempting to reduce costs.”
• Carl Evers, Farmland Management Services, Turlock, CA: “We work with packers and processors on defining what degree of quality is needed, and provide an incentive if it is achieved.”
  •
  W. Andrew Beckstoffer, Beckstoffer Vineyards, Rutherford, CA: “We achieve this through communication with wineries, using a bottle price formula to promote a united approach, research into the latest techniques, and education of managers and field workers.”
• Joe Valente, John Kautz Farms, Lodi, CA: “We aim to be able to produce high-quality winegrapes and to be able to compete with the world market.”
  Other Resources
  The Grape Doctor (www.grapedoctor.com) is the home page of Richard T. Nagaoka, a viticultural consultant in St. Helena, CA, in the heart of the Napa Valley, who offers full-service viticultural consulting to growers worldwide.
  University of California-Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology (http://wineserver.ucdavis.edu/winegrape) is designed to help improve the quality and value of grapes, raisins, and wine for consumers by the application of new information and a better understanding of grape and wine qualities.
  Cornell University Grape Web site (www.fruit.cornell.edu/grapes.html) provides information for Eastern grape growers looking to improve the quality of their vines.

Research Strategies
To Cut Costs

• Mike Burden, Lent-Burden Farming: “We have reduced labor costs with mechanization, and have reduced tractor hours per acre through chemical mowing.”
• W. Andrew Beckstoffer, Beckstoffer Vineyards: “We have a continuing program of experimentation with machinery and vineyard procedures.”
• Joe Valente, John Kautz Farms: “We use new research to be able to reduce labor costs and grow winegrapes with lower inputs.”
• Jason Smith, Valley Farm Management: “We are continually using sustainable measures to cut costs and farm our grapes based on timely appli- cations and diligent monitoring.”
• Carl Evers, Farmland Management Services: “We get bids for larger volumes of material and use a zero base budget process. We also experiment with low-cost ideas and implement low-cost ideas incrementally.”
  
  Other Resources
• Texas Winegrape Network
  (winegrapes.tamu.edu)
• University of California Fruit and
  Nut Research and Information Center
  (http://fruitsandnuts.ucdavis.edul crops/grape.shtml)
  

Organize For Market Strength

• Joe Valente, John Kautz Farms: “We have a strong local and state winegrape commission to market and promote local winegrapes and wines.”
• W. Andrew Beckstoffer, Beckstoffer Vineyards: “We coordinate sales to over 50 wineries.”
  
  Other Resources
• California Association of Winegrape Growers (www.cawg.org)
• California Table Grape Commission (www.tablegrape.com)
• Lodi Woodbridge Winegrape Commission (CA) (www.lodiwine.com)
• Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers (www.wawgg.org)
• Finger Lakes Grape Program
  (www.cce.cornell.edu/programs/finger-lakes-grape) American Society for Enology and Viticulture (www.asev.org)
• Ohio Wine Producers Association (www.ohiowines.org)
• Napa Valley Grape Growers Association (CA) (www.napagrowers.org)
  

Promote Environmental Stewardship

• Mike Burden, Lent-Burden Farming: “We have built and installed an extensive network of raptor housing to reduce rodent problems.”
• Carl Evers, Farmland Management Services: “Our mantra is ‘Doing the right thing, in the right way, for the right reason.’ Examples of this at our farm include: IPM on 100% of our acreage; cost-benefit/environ- mental impact analysis; low tillage and use of cover crops; plant tissue lab testing for fertility; soil moisture monitoring to optimize the timing of irrigation; shredding prunings into mulch.”
• Jason Smith, Valley Farm Management: “We are using sustainable farming measures that best fit each. vineyard. We are evaluating each vineyard on its own and not using a basic program for all of them.”
• W. Andrew Beckstoffer, Beckstoffer Vineyards: “We won an IPM Innovation Award in 1997. We offer local public support of environmental programs, and have implemented a bio-diesel program.”
  Joe Valente, John Kautz Farms: “Through IPM, we are promoting the American farmer who produces the safest food in the world and is also the friendliest to the environment.”
  
  Other Resources
• Sonoma County Grape Growers Association (www.sonomagrapevine.org)
• Michigan Wines (www.michiganwines.com)
• California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (www.sustainablewinegrowing.org)

A generation ago, a vineyard designation on a California wine was rare. It represented the industry gold standard: Martha’s Vineyard, Robert Young, Eisele. Wines just didn’t get any better. Vineyard designations were for true reserve wines, and were saved by producers for their very best wines.

Today there are hundreds, maybe thousands, of vineyard-designated wines so many that you just can’t keep track anymore. You could, theoretically, grow grapes in your backyard and put them into a vine- yard-designated wine (that is, as long as 95 percent of the grapes-the
TTB definition of a “single vineyard”-designated wine-came from your backyard).
These varying ideas of “single vineyard” are why we think it’s more important than ever to recognize those vineyards whose grapes really do go into excellent wines. Because consumers, for better or worse, are willing to pay more for a vineyard-designated wine, it’s important to clarify which single-vineyard wines really are worth seeking out, and separate the wheat from the chaff. Because believe me, there’s plenty of chaff.

When we first came up with the idea to write about California’s sin- gle vineyards, we ran into difficulties deciding on a definition of “single vineyard.” What exactly did we mean by that? There are some vine- yards that are wholly owned by a single winery, whose grapes go solely into that winery’s bottlings (think Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet). = There are privately owned vineyards, whose grapes are sold to differ- ent wineries (such as the Sanford & Benedict Vineyard). And there are wines made from purchased grapes grown by wineries that use grapes from the same vineyard in its own bottlings (an example here would be the Williams Selyem Rochioli Vineyard Pinot Noir).
For the sake of simplicity, we are focusing on vineyards that have been around for at least 10 years, and have both contributed fruit to a flagship wine for its owner and/or manager, and to vineyard-desig- nated bottlings from other wineries who buy the grapes from that vineyard. Lauding vineyards whose grapes are used by only one win- ery, we reasoned, would make it difficult to determine if good fruit, or good winemaking, was the root of their success. Overall, the wines from the vineyards included here are at the top of their classes, with proven ageability.
You’ll notice also that our top five vineyards all are most famous for
their red wines. This raises the age-old question of what constitutes a “noble variety.” Traditionally, Europe’s noble grapes have come from France: Bordeaux (mainly Cabernet Sauvignon), Burgundy (Pinot Noir and Chardonnay) and the Northern Rhône (Syrah). Admittedly, this is an old model, but it’s a useful starting point. Our listing features one Cabernet vineyard (Tokalon), one Syrah vineyard (Alban) and three Pinot vineyards (Rochioli, Pisoni and Sanford & Benedict), although each of these properties also produces other grape varieties. I suppose this breakdown reflects my bias that, as great as California Cabernet Sauvignon can be, Pinot Noir has emerged as the more interesting wine, and in some ways, the most promising. As for Chardonnay, we’ll get around to honoring it in a future issue, as well as honoring great vineyards that produce Zinfandel. Then there’s Sauvi- gnon Blanc. Always a bridesmaid, never a bride, it’s going to take some time before any single vineyard in California can claim to produce “great” one.
What we’re not saying is that these five vineyards always produce California’s best wines. No, their greatness lies in the fact that you’re practically guaranteed to get an interesting wine from grapes grown here, and as often as not, a great wine. All of these vineyards are located in fabulous spots; their owners have the highest farming and winemaking standards and are very selective about who may buy their grapes. And because producers craft wine from each property differntly, you, the wine enthusiast, have the plea- ure of comparing their styles.
So here they are, Wine Enthusiast’s top five California vineyards. Their names on labels is is close to a guarantee of quality as you can get.

TOKALON VINEYARD
Established: 1868
Established by: Hamilton Crabb
Location: Oakville, Napa Valley Acres planted: originally 359, now 699 Planted to: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Syrah and Zinfandel
Ownership: Constellation Brands/ Robert Mondavi (originally 325 acres, now expanded to 555). Also Andrew Beckstoffer (89 acres), Constellation/ Opus One (35 acres), U.C. Davis (20 acres). Two small plots, Detert and Horton, remain in private hands, but Mondavi manages them.
Flagship grape variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Tokalon Vineyard wines are made by: Robert Mondavi, Karl Lawrence, Juslyn, Behrens & Hitchcock, Schrader, Paul Hobbs, Provenance, Atalon

Tokalon has been the source of some of California’s most famous wines for a century It is one of the greatest homes of Cabernet Sauvignon in the New World.
The vineyard lies on east-facing benches of the Mayacamas Mountains. The soils are gravel and sand along the hills, turning to heavier clays along Highway 29, where the wines are “less dense and concentrated,” says Mondavi’s vineyard director, Daniel Bosch.
The oldest vineyard-designated Cabernet dates only from the 1990s, when Mondavi put “To Kalon” (as they spell it–you’ll also see it written as “ToKalon”) on a label. Previously, the grapes had gone into other Mondavi bot- tlings, and Beaulieu Vineyard’s Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet. In 1993, grapegrower Andrew Beckstoffer acquired Beaulieu’s parcel and replanted it. Mondavi has greatly increased acreage over the years, prompting Beckstoffer to argue that his por- tion is more historic.
A Tokalon Cabernet typically has a firm, classic structure, with dry, well-oaked currant flavors and a long finish. In exceptional years, they are long lived. Mondavi’s represent the purest expression of the terroir, and can oftentimes ride out lighter vintages. Mondavi winemaker Genevieve Janssens describes them as “not shy, but we can work the wine so it has elegance. And [they are] very profound. We have a deep voice in To Kalon we don’t have anyplace else.”
In spite of the vineyard’s heritage and repu- tation, the wines from Beckstoffer’s portion get more mixed reviews. This is probably because many of these newer wineries that buy these grapes are still developing their own styles. For them, a poor vintage matters much more than it does at Mondavi.
Harvest-date decisions vary widely. “It’s fas- cinating when people decide to pick,” says Atalon winemaker Tom Peffer. “You’ll see 10 rows get harvested, while next to them a win-
ery might go another three weeks.” Behrens & Hitchcock takes a late-picked approach, which results in Porty wines not meant to age. Most others harvest
sooner. But vintage, as I have said, makes a huge difference. “The 2000 is not a 25-year cellarworthy wine, like the 1999 or 2001,” declares Matt Hobbs, vice president of Paul Hobbs.
One word about Mondavi’s To Kalon Fumé Blanc: Especially when labeled “I Block,” it is one of the greatest Sauvignons in California, extremely dry and flinty, and can improve with age.

ROCHIOLI VINEYARD
Established: 1958. First Pinot Noir in 1968
Established by: Joseph Rochioli Sr.
and Jr.
Location: Healdsburg, Russian River Valley
Acres planted: 128
Planted to: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay,
Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignan, Gamay Beaujolais
Ownership: Rochioli family
Flagship grape variety: Pinot Noir Rocholi Vineyard Pinot Noirs are made by: Rochioli, Williams-Selyem, Gary Farrell, Davis Bynum

A little trivia: Davis Bynum made the first vineyard-designated California Pinot Noir in 1973. It was a Rochioli Vineyard Pinot. Rochi- oli Pinot Noirs have been cult wines longer than some cult winemakers have been alive.
The vineyard ranges from foggy sand and gravel banks above the Russian River to mountain slopes rich in red volcanic soil. The best wines come from the oldest blocks nearer the river, a tenderloin winemaker Tom Rochioli calls Mid 40. For this article, we focus on the 11.7 acres of East Block (planted 1968), West Block (1969) and Three Corner (1974). These names are trademarked by Rochioli. Grapes from older vines also go to Williams Selyem, Gary Farrell and Davis Bynum. Production from these diseased old vines has plummeted, and they will soon have to be replanted. But quality is very fine.
Rochioli Vineyard lies in the warmest part of the Russian River Valley, which is called the Middle Reach. A Rochioli Pinot Noir is a big, dark wine, with rich tannins, crisp acids, cherry flavors and plenty of oak. Flattering in youth, they are generally also ageworthy wines. Leave an opened bottle out on the counter for a few days, and you’ll see how much better it gets.
Some people, like Farrell, favor an earlier- picked, higher-acid, lower-alcohol wine. “The challenge [in Pinot Noir] is to find mature fruit at reasonable sugar levels,” he says, argu- ing that the feeble old vines make grapes that “reach flavor maturity at low brix and high acidity.” Davis Bynum’s winemaker, Hampton Bynum, also prefers an earlier harvest. “These riper styles don’t go well with food, although they stand out in competitions,” he says.
Both Bob Cabral and Tom Rochioli prefer riper grapes. “The wines I used to pick at a lit- tle less [ripeness] are not as good,” Rochioli argues. “They border on the herbal and don’t last.” Cabral’s bottlings have an increasing ten- dency toward ripe flamboyance. But vintage matters. In a cool or rainy vintage, a Rochioli Pinot Noir can be rhubarby; in a hotter year, they are Rhônelike, even raisiny. Joe Rochioli, Jr., Tom’s father and the winery’s chief viticul turalist, acknowledges the importance of vin- tage. Of his highest-priced bottling, East
Block, he says, “When it’s good, it’s real good, but when it’s a miss, it’s not good enough to charge that kind of money,” which is why he doesn’t produce East Block every year.
But when everything comes together, a Rochioli Vineyard Pinot Noir is a glorious wine. The ageability curve, in a great year like 1999 or 2003, extends out to about eight years, although lovers of old Pinot Noir will push them even further.

PISONI VINEYARD
Established: 1982
Established by: Gary Pisoni Location: Santa Lucia Highlands, Monterey County
Acres planted: 50 Planted to: Pinot Noir, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot
Ownership: Pisoni family
Flagship grape variety: Pinot Noir
Pisoni Vineyard Pinot Noirs are made by: Pisoni, Peter Michael, Patz & Hall, Roar, Tan- tara, Testarossa, Siduri, Miura, Capiaux, Ryan, Arcadian, L’Angevin. Past buyers have included Flowers, Lorca, Miner, Morgan, Nichols, Ojai, Scott Paul and Tandem

Gary Pisoni’s sons, winemaker Jeff and viti- culturalist Mark, smile when asked to describe wines made from the family vine- yard. “Just like Dad’s personality,” says Mark, “big, dramatic, intense.”
Indeed, Pisoni Vineyard Pinot Noirs are chiefly characterized by size. In reviewing my notes of dozens of them, I’m struck by the number of times the words “dark,” “complex,” “enormous,” “massive,” and “intense” appear, often accompanied by a score above 90 points. Adam Lee, who uses Pisoni fruit in his Siduri brand, notes, “To make a shy, retiring wine from that vineyard just doesn’t work.”
The key is terroir. Pisoni is a mountain vine- yard, with elevations ranging to 1,400 feet. The soils are decomposed granite and very well-drained. More importantly, the low- yielding vineyard is above the fog that nsually blankets the Salinas Valley. A Pisoni Vineyard wine consequently is ripe and intense in vari- etal fruit.
Pinot Noir secured the vineyard’s reputa- tion rather quickly in the 1990s. The first famous one, a 1996 Ojai, preceded Pisoni’s own. “I had some established wineries vine- yard-designate [the wine],” Gary recalls, “and then waited for them to get good scores and lead the way for us.”
He launched his brand in 1998. Today, the Gary Pisoni and Gary Franscioni.) Pisonis sell fruit only to selected buyers, and

SANFORD & BENEDICT VINEYARD
Established: 1971
drain right through, the ground is firm despite
Established by: Richard Sanford and Michael having just received a foot of rain. The
Benedict
Location: Western Santa Ynez Valley, in the Santa Rita Hills AVA
Number of acres planted: 135 Planted to: Pinot Noir (68 acres), Chardonnay (52 acres), smaller amounts of Viognier, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris
Ownership: Robert Atkin, of England Managed by: Richard Sanford Flagship grape: Pinot Noir Sanford & Benedict Vineyard wines are made by: Sanford, Foxen, Lane Tanner, Bab- cock, Gainey, Au Bon Climat, Hitching Post

The stormiest day in 30 years is the best time to appreciate how well drained the soils are at Sanford & Benedict Vineyard.

Elsewhere, vineyards are ankle-deep in mud. But in these decomposed granites, with their coral-like structures that allows water to drain right through, the ground is firm despite having just received a foot of rain. The drainage helps to devigorate the vines. Vine growth also is slowed by cool temperatures, which are a Region I on the U.C. Davis scale.
This vineyard’s first commercial vintage was 1976, under the Sanford & Benedict label. A few years later, Richard Sanford went out on his own, while Michael Benedict kept control of the vines. Losing his vineyard plunged San- ford, a Vietnam vet, into depression. But, 10 years later, he regained control, of a sort, when British businessman Richard Atkin pur- chased the vineyard and promptly hired San- ford to manage it. Sanford was ecstatic. “It was a very important healing process for me…it’s a spiritual place,” he declares. “My soul is there.”
At first, Sanford took all the grapes for himself, but this prompted so many complaints from local wineries, whose supply was cut off, that he relented. Despite stylistic and block variations, a Sanford & Bene- dict Pinot Noir is a rich, intense wine, often explosive in cherry, raspberry and spice flavors. It often displays a silky texture and great length on the palate. Au Bon Climat’s Jim Clendenen applauds the vineyard’s propensity to produce wines
with “brilliant natural acidity [and] mind-boggling inten- sity of fruit and purity of fla- vors.” Foxen’s Bill Wathan, who used S&B fruit for many years until 1999, says the vineyard “is Santa Rita Hills. It has a sense of being Bur- gundian.”
The wines are succulent on release, but really hit their stride between five and eight
years of age. Sanford’s 2001 is a classic exam- ple, still all primary fruit. The 1999, by con- trast, is seamless, while a 1994 Foxen is one of the most attractive Pinot Noirs I’ve tasted.
Richard Sanford has considered crafting a block selection from individual climates within the vineyard, which vary with eleva- tion, soil type and clone, but is holding off, for now. “Too many variable-selection wines can be confusing from the public’s point of view,” he says.

ALBAN VINEYARD
Established: 1990
Established by: John Alban
Location: Edna Valley, San Luis Obispo County
Number of acres planted: 60
Planted to: Syrah, Roussanne, Viognier, Grenache
Ownership: Alban family
Flagship grape: Syrah
Alban Vineyard wines are made by: Alban and Sine Qua Non are the only wineries pro- ducing reds from this vineyard. Wineries pro- ducing white wines from Alban fruit include Failla, Turley and Sine Qua Non. Qupé used to produce an Alban Vineyard Roussanne.

John Alban remem- bers arriving in the Edna Valley when most of the appellation was planted to Chardonnay.
It made little sense to him, because he knew this part of California’s Central Coast had the same cool climate as the Northern Rhône: Syrah country, that is. But “when I started the winery, nobody gave a rat’s ass about these [Rhône] varieties,” Alban says. That didn’t stop him. The Rhône grapes went in, and by the mid-1990s Alban’s grapes and wines, including the whites, were celebrated by insiders.
Alban Vineyard elevations range from 300 to 600 feet. Winds from the Pacific slam into the hill, chilling it. The growing season is exceptionally long, with virtually no chance of harvest rain. Soils are complex, and Alban takes great pleasure in pointing out how one block is filled with large stones, while another is volcanic clay and still another chalk and hard chert. Syrah and Grenache do best on the chalky soils, formed when the land was under water. The whites prefer the volcanics.
There are three single-block Syrahs: Reva (planted in 1992), Lorraine (1995) and, the highest in altitude and most expensive, Sey- mour’s (1998).”Reva,” Alban explains, “has a distinct espresso and blackberry note to it, with asphalt, emulsion, and very silky tannins. Lorraine tends to be more about red, sweet fruits, with more glycerol and sweet tannins. Seymour’s is completely different, lots of exotic dried fruits, pomegranates, floral notes, more spice and tremendous weight and length.” To judge from the 1992 and 1996 Revas, which I have just tasted, the wines age well; both vintages were remarkable.
Alban sells Syrah grapes only to Manfred Krankl, at Sine Qua Non, who blends the fruit into his Syrahs, in varying amounts. “Alban Syrah is more interesting to me, more viva- cious and brighter, than warm-climate Syrah,” Krankl says. “It’s not as jammy.”
Among the white wines, Alban’s Viognier shows classic honeyed tropical fruit flavors, but with a bracing, bright minerality and acid- ity. The Roussanne in particular is a thrilling wine that combines intensity with elegance. Ehren Jordan makes an Alban Viognier for his Failla label, as well as an Alban Roussanne at Turley Wine Cellars. “I have very specific requirements for any vineyard I do business with,” Jordan says. “John’s a great farmer, and he has an extraordinary site.”
A word about Alban’s Grenache: Often the last variety harvested, the grape thrives in the cool climate, attaining an intense, kirsch-and- raspberry vibrancy that allows the wines an easy decade of improvement.

About 170 years ago, a mountain man named George Yount settled in central Napa Valley on a large tract of land granted by the Mexican government. Between hunting grizzly bears and fighting the native Wappo and La Jota tribes, he established a farm that included a small vineyard- Napa Valley’s first grapevines. Today three Yountville-area landowners claim that Yount’s vineyard site is on their land. Alas, the vines are long gone. But the site may yet be located, and one of the landowners certified as the proud inheritor of its tradition by the new Napa Valley Historic Vineyard Registry.

Napa Valley is not the best place in California to produce fine wine. It’s merely one of the best. Yet Napa Valley is synony- mous with California wine all over the world, thanks to two de- ceptively simple things: focus and public relations. The Napa Valley wine community is com- mitted, down to the individual level, to preserving its primarily agrarian identity. And its mem- bers spend an inordinate amount of time, money and po- litical capital to do so.
The Napa Valley Historic Vineyard Registry is the latest example of that. It’s not splashy. yet by quietly establishing his- torical vineyard pedigrees for many parcels of land in the val- ley, it’s sure to impede non-viti- cultural development in the fu- ture and may have a similar effect on other California wine districts, such as Sonoma County, which has a viticultural history even longer than Napa’s.
It also may prove to be con- troversial. By creating what amounts to an aristocratic class of vineyard, the registry will add a new element to the already confusing barrage of information that wine producers use to woo the consumer.
A project of the Napa Valley Grapegrowers, or NVG, a grow- ers’ advocacy organization, the registry was conceived by Andy Beckstoffer, who co-founded NVG in 1975 and is one of the val- ley’s largest non-winery-affili- ated grape growers. It aims to substantiate Napa Valley’s long and distinguished history as a wine region by certifying the cur- rent ownership of properties that were known to be vineyards more than a century ago.
The vines have vanished from some parcels of land, and others are buried under buildings and parking lots. But many, such as Niebaum-Coppola, Schrams-
berg, and Crane Family Vine- yards, to choose just a few, are still producing notable wines.
Says Beckstoffer, who chairs the registry’s review committee, “I want to bring focus to our his- tory and vineyards, and not just to our Wine Spectator scores.”
On the surface, the registry, which carries none of the legal Implications of a state historical designation, is simply an at- tempt to reconnect modern wine-centric Napa Valley with a previous golden era.
California wine–which dates from the mid-19th century-has two histories, two distinct peri- ods divided by a 50-year discon- nect caused by a pair of cata- strophic events. One of those events was Prohibition (1920- 1933), which put the state’s wine producers (except those making Communion wine for churches) out of business.
Prohibition followed a devas- tating infestation of phylloxera (circa 1880-1900), a root-eating aphid that had wiped out most of the vineyards in France and al- most did the same in California before resistant rootstocks were introduced in the 1890s.

An industry sleeps
So an industry that had begun in the 1850s-and that by the 1880s had shown every sign of tak- ing the world by storm with its acclaimed, award-win- ning wines-suddenly went dor- mant for half a century. Even af- ter Prohibition was repealed, the industry awoke slowly, not re- gaining international promi- nence until the 1970s.
“There are a lot of folks who think Napa Valley started in the 1970s,” says Napa County agri- cultural commissioner and regis- try review committee member Dave Whitmer. “But it’s been an agricultural gem for a long time.”
“Let’s face it, Napa County finds itself under continual pres- sure from growth and develop- ment. [The registry ] is one way to help people keep a sense of this place as an agricultural place, and keep in front of people the need to protect it.”
A heightened awareness of the land’s rich history, Whitmer reasons, may make residents less likely to approve the kind of non-agrarian development that has plagued other noted wine districts, such as Livermore Val- ley and the Russian River Valley.
In fact, there’s a little more to It than that. Beckstoffer came up with the Historic Vineyard Reg- istry when he was in the middle of litigation, defending his com- mercial stake in the historic Napa Valley vineyard called To Kalon (also spelled To-Kalon and Tokalon) against Robert Mondavi Winery.
Beckstoffer and Robert Mon- davi Winery both own pieces of To Kalon (the historical spell- ing), which was first planted by Napa Valley wine pioneer H.W. Crabb in 1868 and which became one of California’s most famous vineyards before Prohibition. (The University of California also owns 20 acres.)
Mondavi was able to trade- mark the names To-Kalon (Mon- davi’s spelling) and To-Kalon Vineyard, which gave it the right to market wines under those names without necessarily using grapes from the original Crabb property. Tim Mondavi, quoted in the St. Helena Star, said, “We could use grapes from Nairobi if we wanted to.”
In 2002, Mondavi sued vintner Fred Schrader in U.S. District Court for trademark infringe- ment and unfair competition, over Schrader’s vineyard-desig- nated 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon made with grapes from Beck- stoffer’s portion of Tokalon (Beckstoffer’s spelling).
If successful, the suit would have prevented anyone other than Mondavi from using the name To Kalon, in any spelling, on a wine label. It would also have set a precedent for trade- marking the name of a specific piece of property as a brand.
Mondavi lost the suit. Now some half a dozen vintners are producing vineyard-designated ToKalon wines from Beckstoff- er’s parcel. The stakes are high: Mondavi’s To-Kalon Vineyard Cabernet sells for around $150 a bottle. Schrader’s ToKalon Cabernet sold out at $75 as soon as it was released through a mailing list. Paul Hobbs Caber- net from Beckstoffer-ToKalon costs $185 a bottle, which means Hobbs pays Beckstoffer $18,500 a ton for ToKalon grapes.
Then, in a diplomatic coup. Beckstoffer turned around and enlisted Mondavi executive Herb Schmidt, who represents the Napa Valley Vintners Assn. (a winery advocacy organization) as an ally and a registry review committee member.

A simple process
THE process of desig- nating a property as historic vineyard land is simple. Landown ers download an ap plication from the Napa Valley Grapegrowers website. The ap-
plication is reviewed by the 10- member committee of growers and by winery executives, histo- rians, local politicians and a Su- perior Court judge. The lineages of individual vineyards are being researched by Sharon Aaron of First American Title Co. in Napa.
Aaron said that when Califor nia became a state in 1850, the U.S. conveyed previous owner- ship of property as patents. She traces ownership forward from the patents, using a grantor grantee index from the Napa County recorder’s office.
“You can find out who the buyer purchased it from and who they sold it to. It’s a continuous chain,” she said. “We try to match up names, find that con- figuration in a grant deed and try to make it match what the asses- sor’s map looks like today.”
One well-known example is the Niebaum-Coppola vineyard in Rutherford. Established as a commercial estate by Finnish sea captain Gustav Niebaum in 1882 on a property where there had been vines since 1871 and cultivated continuously since then, it was the core of Inglenook during its heyday as one of the great California wineries in the 1940s and ’50s, and is now owned by film director Francis Coppola. The vines that make up the heart of the modern vineyard are descended directly (by selection and propagation) from Nie- baum’s original planting, and the Niebaum selection of budwood from the original Cabernet Sau- vignon vines has been certified as UC Davis Clone 29.
Another is the Jacob Schram vineyard, now Schramsberg. German immigrant Schram set- tled in the hills north of St. Hel- ena in the 1880s, building a win- ery and hiring Chinese pick-and-shovel crews fresh from building the transcontinental railroad to dig wine caves in the slope behind his winery.
Robert Louis Stevenson, visiting Schram in 1880, wrote (In “The Silverado Squatters”) that “the stirring sunlight, and the growing vines, and the vats and bottles in the cavern, made a pleasant music for the mind.”
A lesser-known historic vine- yard is the St. Helena vineyard planted by Dr. George Belden Crane in 1861. Most of Crane’s original 100 acres is now the
grounds of St. Helena High School, but 24 acres are owned
by the Salvestrin family. Richard Salvestrin’s grandparents
bought the property just before the repeal of Prohibition. The family sold grapes to local winer- les until Richard and his wife,
Shannon, built a small winery to produce Salvestrin Estate Cabernet and Sangiovese; they continue to sell Zinfandel grapes from 80-year-old vines to Robert Biale Vineyards, which bottles Old Crane Ranch Zinfandel.
These are just a few of the many possible candidates for the registry. About 18,500 acres of ‘the Napa Valley were in vine- yards in the 1890s (nearly half of today’s 44,000 acres). So far, says Beckstoffer, “We’ve been able to find about 10,000 [vineyards] by name, but there are 8,000 acres we can’t match [to] the names. We’ve proved the vineyards ex- isted; now we’re trying to tie them to individual parcels.”
Using the valley’s past to pro- mote its viticultural future seems innocent enough, and yet there’s an air of the Trojan horse about this PR project. Intentionally or not, the registry confers some- thing akin to the French grand cru status on a few properties.
And although the distinction is based on seniority rather than viticultural merit, the difference will inevitably be blurred; those properties and any grapes they produce will become more valu- able over time. Thus the seem- ingly noncommercial program may be creating a new form of marketing gamesmanship in the wine industry.
During my quarter-century- plus of writing about wine, I’ve watched the California wine marketing industry become the tail that wags the dog-and I’d bet that sooner or later we’ll see some kind of symbol on a wine la- bel indicating a vineyard’s his- torical certification, for competi tive advantage if not a higher bottle price.
That subject has come up. says NVG Executive Director Jennifer Kopp. “Would some- body initiate that? Probably, and I don’t think we’d necessarily be opposed to it. But it’s not part of our strategy. More than anything else, we advocate for agricultural preservation.”

In football, hang time is the amount of time a kick hangs in the air, The term came into popular use during the 1980s, when networks began displaying a timer every time the ball was kicked. Invariably, while the ball was in the air and the seconds ticked off, sportscaster John Madden would deliver a little chalk-talk about how long hang time can win a game.
In viticulture, hang time is the amount of time grapes are allowed by growers and the weather to hang on the vine after achieving nomi- nal ripeness. The term came into popular use in northern California in the late 1980s, during a time when people in the San Francisco Bay Area. including many who nor- mally don’t pay any attention to sports, spent a good part of every Sun- day cheering for the great Joe Montana-led San Francisco Forty-Niners. I
was writing a wine column for the San Francisco Chronicle in the late ’80s, and just about every press release in the wine world crossed my desk. Suddenly, it seemed, the chatter from publicists was all about hang time and its heavier-sounding corollary, physio- logical ripeness.
Coincidence or connection? In any case, the term “hang time” is peculiar to the California wine industry. As Dr. Richard Smart, the “flying vine doctor” and author of the influential book, “Sunlight Into Wine,” wrote last year in a technical publication, “Hang time is a California derived term. I forget when I first heard it, maybe ten years ago. Now it is commonly used in California but does not seem to have been widely picked up elsewhere.”
By the early ’90s it was practically axiomatic in the California wine world that hang time is essential to producing outstanding wine. The concept had taken on a life of its own, exerting a substantial impact on the overall character of California wine – most obviously in the fact that California wines now routinely exceed the alcohol level of Euro- pean table wines by two percentage points or more.
It’s impacted grape growers, too. Hang time lowers the weight of the crop by dehydration, which means a grower being paid by the ton loses money with every day of hang time. And many growers have come to believe that hang time has a negative impact on the vine’s long-term ability to set and ripen economical crops.
In fact, the idea that delaying the harvest produces better wine is increasingly controversial. The notion of physiological ripeness as a separate function from normal fruit maturity has yet to be corrobo- rated by the scientific community.
Richard Smart is one of the most vocal critics of hang time. At a conference on hang time in Napa Valley early this year, Dr. Smart delivered a presentation titled, “Two Myths: Physiological Ripeness and Hang Time,” in which he asserted that the value of hang time is in winemakers’ imaginations. “What we’re really talking about is psychological ripeness,” he declared.
The conference was organized by independent grower Andy Beckstoffer and presented by the Napa Valley Grape Growers Asso- ciation. The object, said Beckstoffer, was to open a dialogue about hang time and the issues associated with it. “There was talk all through the land, in the coffee shops,” he ex- plained. “I wanted to raise the level of that conversa- tion to a professional level, and set the basis for fur- ther conversation.”
Beckstoffer is no stranger to controversy. He has sin- gle-handedly revolutionized the business of growing grapes, or, as he puts it, “making a living from grape growing.” He was the first major grower to insist on the price of his grapes being tied to the bottle price of wine made from them; the widespread adoption of his formula (price per ton equals 100 times bottle price) over the past few years has given growers an equitable share of wine profits for the first time in history.
Beckstoffer’s conference, sponsored by the Napa Valley Grape- growers, drew more than 600 people. In addition to Dr. Smart, UC Davis weighed in with two professors and a distinguished alumnus in the private sector. Linda Bisson, Professor and Maynard Amerine Endowed Chair, went “In Search of Optimal Grape Maturity,” (with little immediately practical success); Andrew Walker, Professor and Chair, Horticulture & Agronomy Graduate Group, addressed “Hang Time’s Potential Impact on Vine Health,” (negligible, he said, but several growers challenged him from the floor). And Nick Dokoozlian, now Vice President of Viticulture, E&J Gallo Winery, spoke on “Physiology of Extended Berry Maturation,” (like Bisson, he’s unable to say how, or even if, hang time actually works). And Beringer-Blass vice president for vineyard operations Robert Stein- hauer talked about “Winegrowing for Desirable Flavors.” (the riper the better, he said, adding that consumers continue to support high-alcohol wines).
There were no hard and fast conclusions from the conference. But as Beckstoffer noted, “We’ve opened the dialogue and brought these issues out in the open.” And many attendees felt that by the close of the session the writing was on the wall for wine producers. Knowing Beckstoffer’s track record as a successful advocate for growers, they must all know in their hearts that they will soon be paying for hang time. And the longer the controversy hangs in the air, the more weight the growers will be able to bring to bear on their side which may prove to have a significant effect on the character of California wines in the future.

As Andy Beckstoffer’s staff began testing we’re seeing a reduction in vine sugar levels in grapes this summer to see if they were ripe, the winemakers purchasing his fruit used a different test: Their palate. This difference in approach has led to a growing strain in the relationship between growers and the wineries purchasing fruit. Using taste buds to determine when grapes are ready to come off the vine marks a depar- ture from the past, when the brix level – the percentage of sugar in the grape- and other numerical data were more prominent factors in the decision.
As winemakers have pushed for longer “hang time” on the vines, allowing brix levels to shoot higher, they say they have been able to produce better wines. But others in the wine industry say that the practice threatens the economic viability of grape growers, by reducing crop levels and adversely affecting the health of grape vines.
“It’s a change from grapes being harvested on a physiological level when the vines were ready,” said Beckstoffer, “to a psychological level, when (the grapes) taste good.”
Beckstoffer said that the higher brix levels do produce the bigger, bolder wines that winemakers want, but he argues that the prac- tice is threatening the long term economic sustainability of grape growers. In the past week, Beckstoffer and Lee Hudson, both large independent growers, asked the Napa Valley Grape Growers Association and the California Association of Winegrape Grow- ers to push for research into the effect that longer hang time has on the health of the vine.
This past harvest, Beckstoffer said he watched as his grapes shriveled and shed 25 percent of their weight, while the brix levels increased from 24 degrees to 28 degrees. More importantly, he said, his crop levels have consistently dropped off since winemak- ers began pushing for harvests at higher brix levels.
“It’s weakening the vine – we’re seeing a ability of diseases to take hold.”
Andy Walker, a professor of viticulture at the University of California, Davis, said that giving grapes “hang time” is a way to develop flavors. Sugar levels become more concentrat ed as the grape loses water to evaporation, he said.
Walker said there is little research on how it affects vines, but the longer the fruit is left on the vine, the less time it has to prepare itself for the next year.
“It would be interesting to see the research, because I certainly haven’t seen any evidence (of stress on vines) in vineyards,” said Mia Klein, the winemaker for several high-end Napa Val- ley wine labels.
Klein defends winemakers who have stopped using num- bers, such as brix readings, when deciding if the grapes are ready to harvest.
“The winemakers are always the last ones to hold the bag,” she said. “It isn’t all about num- bers; it’s about making the best wine possible.”
Complaints that the higher brix levels are hurting vine quality may be coming from grape Complaints that the higher brix levels are hurting vine qual- ity may be coming from grape.
However, other growers and winemakers argue that the prob- lem needs to be addressed now.
“I’ve been preaching this for three, four years now,” said Marc Mondavi, co-proprietor of Charles Krug Winery. “I don’t think the vines can cope with it on a long-term basis.”
Mondavi added that he believes that the practice is over stressing the vines and will eventually lead to lower quality grapes.
There will be environmental consequences if the problem is not addressed, according to Mondavi. Growers will have to replant their vineyards more often if quality and the amount of grapes produced per acre declines significantly.
New vineyards lead to a greater erosion than an estab- lished vineyard, where there is a cover crop and established root system that anchors the soil.
“This is a whole new issue that we’ve been just whispering about,” said Beckstoffer. “I’m issuing a challenge to find out if
it’s true.”

Andy Beckstoffer, who farms more than 3,000 acres of vines in Napa, Mendocino and Lake counties in Northern California, took an important step this summer in framing a definition of terroir, an issue that not many growers (or winemakers for that matter) were paying much attention to in California a few years ago.

Coming out of Prohibition, California viticulture was all about weather and a quasi factory-farming approach. Often, the attitude was that the soil was just there to hold the roots in place so the vines wouldn’t fall over. That may be overstating it, but, in general, California growers considered terroir a concept the French had invented to give their wines an edge in the world market.
That has been changing for well over a decade, as growers, with a wider choice than ever of rootstocks and clones, have become increasingly aware that dirt is where it’s at. What “it” is may not be clear, but that is exactly what Beckstoffer is trying to establish with a series of tastings of Cabernet Sauvignon. The wines are made by four different wine- ries from grapes grown in the portion of the historic To Kalon vineyard owned by Beckstoffer.
“In the 1970s, we had basically one clone and one rootstock, and the vines were all diseased,” Beckstoffer said at the tast- ing, held at the Beckstoffer Farm Center on Conn Creek Road in Napa. “We can do so many things now that we couldn’t begin to do then. People talk about hang time; you couldn’t let the grapes hang then, because the vines were so diseased the grapes would shrivel up.”
During the tasting, Beckstoffer said that much of the progress of the last decade (following the replanting in Napa due to phylloxera) is the result of technology. “All of the changes-the development of different trellis systems, the leaf pull- ing and the clonal and rootstock experi- ments, among other things-have all con- tributed to improvements in the grapes, which have led to better wines,” he said. “When we first started talking about microclimates, people like André Tchel- istcheff would mention the differences between Carneros and Rutherford. After a while, we began to talk about differences within the district. Today, we are dealing with the microclimate of the grape cluster. We are looking at how many leaves are shading the cluster, whether one cluster is hitting another, what is the humidity around the clus- ter,” he said. “We are farming by the cluster.”
It is an approach to viticulture that no one was even thinking of 20 years ago, or even 15 years ago. So what’s next? “Information technology,” Beckstoffer said. “We are building a database on how to grow winegrapes. We have weather sensors, moisture sensors, all sorts of ways to keep track of the grapes. What we need to do now is figure out what that data means.”
David Beckstoffer, who is president of
the Beckstoffer farming company, (beck- stoffervineyards.com) said he also expects work to go forward on isolat- ing flavor development in the grape and how to translate that to the wine.
The historic To Kalon vineyard was first planted by Hiram W. Crabb in the 1870s. According to wine historian Charles Sullivan, Crabb had one of the largest collections of vines in the world, with more than 400 varieties in his nursery catalog. He also made his own wine from To Kalon, and it was a commercial success. His Zinfandel and “burgundy” took gold medals at the San Francisco Midwinter Fair of 1894. After Crabb’s death in 1899, the vine- yard was sold to E.S. Churchill. The To Kalon label was maintained until Proh- ibition. In 1943, 89 acres of the original property was sold to Beaulieu, and was farmed as Beaulieu Vineyard #4. Andy Beckstoffer bought the vineyard in 1993. Turning to the specifics of the tasting, Dave Michul, manager for Beckstoffer’s To Kalon vineyard, said many elements go into the success of wines from To Kalon, but in the end, it really comes down to the soil, which is gravelly loam with some clay. There is not a lot of rooting depth, and it is low in fertility. Vines are planted relatively close, with 1,037 vines per acre, 6 feet between rows and 7 feet between vines. The vines are trained to a vertical system. Michul said the focus is on cluster size. He said the cluster capacity of each vine is known, and berry size is moderated through irrigation, with smaller berries. being the goal.
All trellising is bilateral cordon, spur pruned with north-south row direction, parallel to the valley. The canopy is managed for limiting exposure to after- noon sun, which can be intense. The can- opy is left full on the afternoon sun side. Michul added that it is necessary to farm the vineyard so that it will adapt to the environment of each new vin- tage. “You can’t farm the same way every year,” he said.
Only one rootstock is used by Beck- stoffer, the Davis 03916, which is resis- tant to a nematode commonly found in Rutherford and Oakville soils. There are three clones: clone 6, which pro- duces very intense, small thick-skinned berries which are high in anthocyanins; clone 377, which tends to produce elegant tannins and clone 4, which produces plum and cherry fruit with levels of concentration that can vary, depending on the soil structure of the
individual block. Michul said clone 377 produces the most uniform results, while clone 4 is the least uniform. According to Beckstoffer, Beaulieu did several years of clonal tests, and con- cluded that, from a winemaking stand- point, clone 6 was the best Cabernet clone. “It yielded very intense fruit, but it was rejected at the time for viticul- tural reasons-the yields were just too low,” he said.
The wines tasted were from Behrens & Hitchcock Winery, Paul Hobbs Winery,
Karl Lawrence Cellars and Schrader Cellars. Winemaking styles varied, as did picking times, even when the same vintage was compared. The harvest date is the only decision completely controlled by the winemaker at Beck- stoffer’s To Kalon. Otherwise, the Beckstoffer team is in full charge. As Beckstoffer put it, “We run the vine- yards, in consultation with the winemaker.”
Because of stylistic differences in approach, the tasting was nothing like an evaluation of the vineyard from a strictly terroiristic focus. It was valu- able for demonstrating how the human factor in both farming the grapes and making the wine must be included in any meaningful definition of terroir.
If there was one underlying theme it would be the intensity of the fruit, which in every case showed what I would call classic Napa Cabernet character, with fruit tending toward the black cherry-blackberry.
Conclusion? Way too soon to go there, but a very useful start in understanding the new vineyard technology as related to the wine in the bottle.

It takes a great deal of commitment and dedication to become a leader in your industry. You’ll find some examples of this hard work in the Top Grape Growers report, presented by American/Western Fruit Grower. The list is based on and ranked according to grape acreage owned or leased by one company that is responsible for maintaining it. By making the right decisions and using their resources effectively, these growers have worked their way up to become the largest operations in the industry.
Within this report, you’ll also be able to take a sneak peak at one of the
companies on the list, and the path it has taken to success. Finally, while grape growers in the Eastern U.S. may not be as large in size as some of their Western counterparts, their numbers have increased dramatically, and you can read about their own concerns and resources.

A View From The East
ALTHOUGH they may not be as large as their Western counterparts in terms of vineyard acreage, grape growers in New York, Michigan, and other areas of the Eastern U.S. are expanding their market presence. One of the fastest-growing trends among Eastern growers, both small and large, is the use of wine tasting, tours, bed and breakfasts, and other value-added benefits for wineries. In order to produce the highest-quality grapes and wines, these growers have their own unique production prac- tices, as well as market concerns and resources at their fingertips.

From The Finger Lakes
Many grape growers in New York were on hand in late February for the Finger Lakes Grape Growers Convention. The event highlighted several of the issues these growers are dealing with.

• Bud injury. A cold spell in early January caused the worst cases of bud injury since 1993. However, Cornell University professor Bob Pool has developed a modified pruning program at the Chardonnay vineyard at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva that could help growers maintain a sizable crop.
• Bulk wine markets. Following a record crop and poor ripening condi- tions in 2003, some growers turned to mechanical thinning with grape harvesters, which not only reduced the heavy crop to a manageable level, but also improved Brix and ripening standards.
  Fungicide resistance, especially in strobilurins, and disease man- agement after a wet season.
  The ability of small wineries to source cold-sensitive varieties.

Online In Michigan
Growers in the Great Lake State have a new Web resource that is just a click away. The site from Michigan State University, www.grapes.msu.edu, highlights issues related to integrated pest management (IPM) and cultural practices for wine and juice grape growers, including pest ID information, links to vineyard management advice, pest scouting, and weather informa- tion. The site also describes potential physiological and chemical disorders such as nutrient deficiencies that can occur in the vineyard. Along with this site, growers can also order a pocket guide for grape scouting by going to www.ipm.msu.edu/GrapePocket.htm.

Spotlighting A Top Grower
THE path that growers take in work- ing their way to the top of the indus- try, and the challenges they over- come, differ for each organization. Here is an up-close look at one of the companies that made the Top Grape Growers list, and how it got there.

Beckstoffer Vineyards
www.beckstoffervineyards.com
One of the main keys to the growth of Beckstoffer Vineyards has been its commitment to quality through the use of technology. “We have focused on using mod- ern vineyard techniques, and we constantly experiment with mechanical, production, and pruning practices,” says owner Andy Beckstoffer, who also points out that the com- pany was the first grape grower in Napa Valley to use drip irrigation. Beckstoffer also says it’s important for them to analyze how they are per- ceived, both by outsiders and from within. For example, they refer to themselves as entrepreneurs rather than farmers, mainly because of their focus not just on land use, but on the people behind the success of the com- pany. By promoting the personal side of the business, “we are able to hope- fully improve the economic, political, and social status of grape growers. As with any company, there have been bumps along the road. Since its formation in 1973, Beckstoffer has weathered four recessions, the earli- est of which forced the company to restructure. In response to these events, Beckstoffer says his comp- any followed two strategies to help them turn the tide:

• Promoting the vineyard, and not just the wine. Beckstoffer designated each vineyard for specific wines, which helped create value not only for the wine, but also for the vineyard where it came from.
• Pricing formula. Rather than base their grape prices on crop sizes or economic indexes, Beckstoffer instead bases them on the price of wine itself. This results in a more direct correlation between grape and wine prices and value.

Andy Beckstoffer, perhaps Napa Valley’s best known grapegrower, wants the bulk of his 1,000-plus acres of grapevines to remain farmland forever. “The alternative is houses,” he said last week while sitting in his expansive Rutherford office on a cold afternoon, fog visible on the nearby Vaca range. Beckstoffer owns vineyards just about everywhere in Napa Valley. Nearly 400 acres in Carneros. More than 400 acres between Yountville and Rutherford, including a chunk of the noted To Kolan Vineyard near the Oakville Grade. One hundred and fifty acres in St. Helena.
Two years ago he began altering deeds to two of his vineyards, one in Oakville near Brix Restaurant and another in Carneros. He
restricted future landown- ers from building houses or commercial structures, removing native trees, drilling or mining, dump- ing, erecting billboards, and subdividing either of two 45-acre vineyards. One exception is for an agricul- tural related building on the vineyard in Carneros. “We think we’re going to do 900 of our 1,000 (acres)” over the next 10 years, he said of his ongo- ing efforts to restrict devel- opment of his vineyard properties.
To really make sure it stays as agricultural land or open space, he called in the Land Trust of Napa County to defend the changes he made to the deeds. The land trust has tens of thousands of dollars in a legal defense fund to protect the land: Beckstof- fer gave them the
money. Called a conservation easement, this legal maneuver is the only sure way to protect Napa Valley from becoming the bed- room community that dozens of developers would love to make it, according to John Hoffnagle, execu- tive director of the Land Trust of Napa County.
Even Napa County’s tough zoning laws are amendable, Hoffnagle says.
“We’re thinking a hun- dred years out,” Hoffnagle said. “What we’re trying to do is quietly protect enough conservation ease- ments that Napa County’s agriculture vitality is pro- tected.” The ag preserve, making agricultural the highest use of land throughout the county, went into effect in 1968 and can be over- turned by a majority vote of the Board of Supervisors only after measure J expires. Measure J, a later initiative designed to make

The Trefethen estate in Napa claims that of the 243 wineries in Napa County, just 22 vinify only the grapes they grow themselves. I suspect the figure is an under-estimate, but the general principle remains true: most American wine producers rely, to a greater or lesser degree, on purchased grapes. In Napa, roughly half of all grapes are grown by people who don’t make wine. Europe, too, has its hordes of grape farmers. But they invariably sell their fruit to co- operatives or négociants. In Bordeaux, it would be unthinkable for, say, Anthony Barton to phone up Christian Moueix to ask him if he can spare a few tons of Merlot.
In California, however, estates routinely supplement their own production by purchasing fruit from other growers. Sometimes this will be blended in with their own grapes, but if the fruit comes from a prestigious source, then it may be released as a ‘vineyard-designated’ wine. Thus the Bernardus estate in Monterey often buys Pinot Noir from the Bien Nacido Vineyard in Santa Barbara, and says as much on the label. Yet implicit in this arrangement is a potential conflict of interest. The winemaker wants the best grapes he can obtain for his money; the grape farmer wants the best possible price for his fruit, while cropping his vineyards to the maximum yields consistent with decent quality. In Sonoma County, the Dutton Ranch was founded in 1964 by apple farmer Warren Dutton. He planted Chardonnay back in the Californian Dark Ages of 1967. His neighbours told him he was mad, that Chardonnay would never ripen in the chillu Duccion Distos Vallon. Ha une right and Joe look after 1,050 acres spread over 60 different sites. Their grapes, principally Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, are sold to prestigious producers such as Kistler, Lewis, Hartford and Merryvale. Of their 45 customers, one-third produce vineyard- designated wines, which gratifies the Dutton ego and provides a helpful sales tool for the wineries. Steve Dutton took time off during the 2003 harvest to explain how he works with his clients. The customer can dictate farming practices and yields, but if they differ from our standard practices, that comes at a cost. Most large wineries are happy with yields of 5-6 tons per acre for Chardonnay, but smaller ones may ask for only 3 or 4. The client also determines picking dates. Sometimes winemakers will come to us and say they’re looking for a particular variety or style of fruit, and there are times when we’ll custom-plant-but only in exchange for a long-term contract, as it will take us five years just to recoup the planting costs. As for payment there are many different formulae, and contracts vary from client to client.”
Steve and Joe Dutton have both founded wineries in recent years (Dutton Goldfield and Sebastopol Vineyards respectively), which may seem like a conflict of interest, since the temptation to cream off the best fruit for themselves must be great. Joe’s wife, Tracy, says this isn’t so: In fact, having our own wineries has helped us all to understand the requirements of our clients. We don’t get preferential treatment when it comes to buying fruit. We join the queue and we get no discounts.’ I felt my eyebrows heading north when I heard this, and would give much to hear a Dutton negotiating with himself to buy his own fruit.
At Bien Nacido Vineyard in Santa Barbara there does indeed seem to be a close rapport between grower and client. The first vines were planted
here in 1973. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir were, and remain, the most important varieties. Driving through the 800 acres of vineyards, it’s fascinating to observe the different inclines and expositions, the varied trellising systems, the multiplicity of clonal material.
Bien Nacido acquired its high reputation- primarily because it was one of the few California vineyards to be planted with certified virus-free plants, which clients found reassuring. From the start, explains the vineyard manager, our philosophy was that Bien Nacido should be a winery’s vineyard, with winemakers spending time with us to discuss what they are trying to do, and with us trying to match our farming to accommodate their requirements. Syrah was a huge gamble back in the 1980s, but we developed those early vineyards jointly with Bonny Doon and Qupé, and nearly 20 years later they’re still buying that fruit.
Because we’ve been around for 30 years, we have many specific blocks that always go to the same client. Roughly 80% of our customers pay the same price for our grapes, but there are exceptions. Our hillside blocks are more expensive to develop, so the grapes cost more, and the clients understand why. We offer a sliding scale of pricing depending on how much attention to detail is expected. So sometimes the contracts will specify the number of leaf-pulls or green harvesting. If there’s a lot of additional hand work required from us, clearly our prices will need to reflect that.
The acreage of Blen Nacido and Beckstoffer pales in comparison with the San Bernabe Ranch in southern Monterey. Here, more than 8,000 acres have been planted, though at present, because of replanting, only 5,200 are in production. This is
mostly industrial farming with much machine harvesting. Yet vineyard manager Claude Hoover identifies 135 blocks at San Bernabe, each farmed and managed separately. From a distance the ranch looks flat and uniform, but elevations range from 340 to 700 feet, and 150 acres are dedicated to experimental plantings. High-tech solutions, such as aerial spraying and aerial monitoring of temperature flow during the frost season, have helped reduce labour costs.
San Bernabe sells to Mondavi, Beringer and other wineries, as well as its own Delicato and Monterra brands, which absorb 10% of the crop. Our clients remain loyal, says Hoover, because we offer good service, sending them regular sugar readings before the harvest so they can decide when to pick. We also have complete frost protection, which many smaller vineyards just can’t afford.
There are two forms of payment: by tonnage or acreage. The former system encourages the grower to go for high yields, but this is not a problem for large wineries sourcing fruit for their high-volume brands. On the other hand, Bonny Doon pays by acreage, as this allows owner Randall Grahm to reduce the crop without diminishing Delicato’s profits.
The most sophisticated of the growers is Andy Beckstoffer. After leaving business school, he was recruited by Heublein and helped that company purchase two historic Napa wineries: Inglenook and Beaulieu. He formed a subsidiary company that oversaw grape supply to these expanding wineries, but in 1973 Heublein decided to sell it. The canny Beckstoffer managed to retain control of the subsidiary company, and thus at the age of 33 was the owner of 1,200 acres of vineyards in Napa and Mendocino counties. Thirty years later, Beckstoffer cultivates 3,200 acres in three counties. He has acquired some of Napa’s most historic vineyards, the source of some of the valley’s finest red wines since the 1930s.
The California recessions of 1974, 1983 and 1991,’ Beckstoffer explains, ‘gave an opening for vineyard acquisition at what then seemed high prices, but now seem like bargains.’ Thus he can offer his clients grapes from small parcels of prestigious vines on the one hand, and on the other large tracts of new, state-of- the-art Cabernet plantings on exceptional soil in Lake County. ‘One advantage of being a large grower, with hundreds or thousands of acres, is that it’s easier to hire the best viticulturalists, who relish the challenge and responsibility.’
Beckstoffer is a shrewd businessman as well as an expert grape farmer. ‘We put new clients on
a one-year contract, so both sides can determine whether we see eye to eye. The client decides when to pick, and supplies his own bins, large or small. In practice, the client often asks our advice on picking dates, as we know the vineyards far better than he does.
‘I won’t let clients tell me how to farm, but they accept that we’re as committed to quality as they are. We usually recommend that our clients take a blend of clones, but this can be weighted to meet their stylistic demands. We like to work together with the wineries to make sure they get the blocks and clones that they want. Sometimes clients will pick later than we recommend because they want a jammy style. And some ask for earlier picking to suit their winemaking schedule and tank space. But I’m not always happy about this, especially if the wine is going to be vineyard-designated and has my name on the label.’
Beckstoffer was the first grower to relate price per tonne to eventual bottle price. ‘As a rule of thumb, if the producer plans to release a $50 Cabernet, then we will charge $5,000 per ton; for a $120 Cab, the price would be $12,000 per ton. This puts both grower and client on the same level. It’s truly a joint venture that serves our mutual interest, and it means grapes aren’t treated simply as a commodity to be traded. It’s our way of giving the client access to some of the best vineyards of the valley. Just as importantly, it returns profitability to the land, and this helps to preserve agriculture in Napa. Napa will only survive as an agricultural area if the vineyards. are profitable. The moment they cease to be profitable, vineyards will be turned into shopping malls, as happened in Sonoma.
‘An interesting innovation since 1995 is that we and our client wineries organise a tasting of barrel samples to assess what they’ve done with our fruit. Last year there were more than 100 samples from three counties, all tasted blind. This helps the wineries and us to establish which
are the best blocks and the best wineries. We don’t participate in the tasting but we get all the data. I’d like to direct those who make the best wine to our best blocks.’
However expert the grower – and Beckstoffer and Dutton are among California’s finest – wineries purchasing fruit are inevitably relinquishing some control over quality. Steve Beckmen in Santa Barbara, whose father planted the superb Purisima Mountain Vineyard, says: ‘One reason for planting our own vineyards was that we couldn’t always get the growers we bought from to make as many passes through the vines as we wanted.’
Bob Lindquist in Santa Barbara, who buys from many of the county’s top sites, admits: ‘Growers do watch their costs, and if I ask for another vineyard operation – additional bunch- thinning, say I’ll have to pay them more. They’ll do the work because if the fruit turns out to be mediocre, I can argue for a lower price or even reject the crop.’ Craig Jaffurs, a Syrah specialist in Santa Barbara, agrees: ‘Growers will do as you say, as the quality of the wine I make from their fruit validates the vineyard, and then the grower can start charging higher prices. I pay a price based on a yield of four tons per acre, but always drop the crop to three. That’s my choice.’ Veteran winemaker David Ramey adds: ‘Designating a vineyard on the label is up to the winemaker. But agreeing to do so also provides an incentive for the grower to improve quality.’
Ramey seems to have an ideal arrangement with his Chardonnay growers in Sonoma and Carneros. ‘At Hyde and Hudson vineyards, I can control anything I want, but I don’t need to, as the vineyards are self-limiting in terms of yield. I do some leaf-pulling and canopy management, but that’s just fine tuning.’
It comes down to trust in the end. The grower is reassured and flattered knowing that his name will appear on some of California’s finest wines. The winemaker, if he chooses the right grower and negotiates the right contract, can have confidence that he will acquire fruit tailor- made to his requirements. But that ideal is not always met. In boom times, many wineries must accept sub-standard grapes because demand is too high; during periods of glut, such as the present, the grower may be tempted to cut costs because of falling prices or simple lack of demand. The system can work extremely well, to the benefit of grower, winery and consumer. But it can also fail to deliver the goods, and it’s hard to resist the conclusion that the European solution is better. When I see Dominique Lafon in his blue overalls clambering off his tractor and leading me into the cellar with pipette in hand, I know I’m in the presence of someone in total control of his product.

In 1968 there were 30 wineries in the Napa Valley, 10 percent of the current total; and 11,908 acres of vineyard, 25 percent of the current total. The Napa Valley wine industry had little voice.

Ag land preservation began with conversations about a National Preserve, Williamson Act provisions and economic viability of vineyards. Amid the confusion County Administrator Al Haberger, County Assessor George Abate, county supervisors and planning commissioners came up with the idea of an Agricultural Preserve.

Our wine industry was split on the issue. The Inglenook people opposed, stating their concern for individual property rights. Louis Martini was in favor of it. In at least one prominent family, brothers took opposite sides and feuded vehemently. There were strong interests to the right and to the left.

County supervisors compromised with a 20-acre minimum parcel size and passed the historic Agricultural Preserve Ordinance.

The Ag Preserve’s most critical period was the 1970s. There was great pressure for “cluster housing” and “executive retreats” in the unincorporated area. In the mid-1970s, Caltrans began purchasing rights-of-way for an approved freeway through the Napa Valley! The question was, “Were we for ‘no growth’ or ‘limited growth?'” The “limited growth” people were in the majority, protecting and being protected by, the county ordinance.

I was a member of the Napa County Planning Commission from 1976 to 1981. We heard the arguments — and increased the total Ag Preserve acreage and increased the minimum lot size to 40. We granted use permits for over 100 new wineries, while the growers doubled the number of acres in vineyards! The Ag Preserve ordinance kept us safe, as vineyards and the wine industry grew in popularity and sustainability.

In the 1980s, people continued to ask, “Why do you keep fighting for this? The majority of the vineyards will be gone in 10 years.” But now the Napa Valley Grapegrowers Association had been formed and the Vintners’ Association was being managed with strong voices and involvement. People began to understand a clear plebiscite — protection of agricultural and open space in Napa County was going to win, but not without a big fight.

Finally, agricultural and environme’ntal interests, people who loved open space and elected officials united to protect the Ag Preserve.

Measure A in 1980 limited the county’s growth to one percent annually and Measure J in 1990 prohibited the conversion of agricultural land to urban uses without a vote of the people. With Measure J it became very difficult to develop agricultural land by taking it out of the Ag Preserve. That loophole was closed.

The Ag Preserve ordinance allowed one winery per parcel… but what was a winery? A second loophole — that of the souvenir shop with tours and tasting, selling mostly non-Napa wines, disguising itself as a Napa Valley winery — had to be closed. We began to understand that we were to protect Napa Valley agriculture and not agriculture in general, which could mean grapes from Monterey. The scar tissue from that three-year fight has not completely healed today. In 1989, with the Winery Definition Ordinance, the growers, vintners, environmentalists and concerned citizens joined together in a most significant refining of the terms of the Ag Preserve Ordinance.

The phylloxera infestation of the late 1980s and early 1990s could have doomed viticulture in Napa County had the Ag
Preserve not been in place. It cost a fortune to replant the vineyards. If an urban use alternative had been available, many would have taken it. As it was, the industry made major reinvestments in vineyards. The solution to the phylloxera problem came with the introduction of resistant rootstocks. New vineyard regimes emphasized environmental sensitivity. We had succeeded in maintaining our rural economy and community with great help from the Ag Preserve long enpugh for viticulture to become sustainable. Vineyards that had once been purely business assets to be exploited became national treasures to be preserved.

We must not take the Ag Preserve for granted or forget the concern, vigilance and personal discomfort that was required to get to this point.

By 2000, vineyards were the highest and best use of the land in economic terms.

But the agricultural industry has not done enough to explain itself to the newly active environmental community. The long-term constituency that had served the county so well had unraveled. Good people with a basic common goal but different strategies for accomplishing it, disagreed.

Today, people for the “protection-of-individual- property-rights at all costs” are active again.

There are strong interests to the right and to the left. All of these interests are represented by good people who have valid points of view.

Thirty-five years ago it took our elected county officials to pull us all to the center. Let’s not make it so hard on them, and us, this time.

(Andy Beckstoffer, a founding member of the Napa Valley Grapegrower Association, is a current member of the Napa County Farm Bureau.)

The evolution of viticultural areas has proceeded in the same way since the days of Pliny the Elder in ancient Italy, and probably, if we had records to prove it, long before that. It’s deceptively simple. Appellations tend to evolve from large, general areas toward more precise definition and internal differentiation as the result of an increasingly tight interface of terrain, grape variety and human culture. People start cultivating grapes and making wine in a promising area, and before you know it (in the big picture, anyway) there are verticals of Romanée-Conti and Château Latour-wines from small pieces of land that have emerged over time, rising to prominence from their very roots, through terroir and winemaking to sustained critical consensus.
More than a century ago, Napa Valley began its long emergence as one of the New World’s outstanding appellations, particularly for distinctive cabernet sauvignon. The past twenty vin- rages or so have begun to reveal the viticultural character of smaller areas within the valley through the cabernet medium.
Now, more than a dozen Napa Valley sub-appellations have been approved or are in the making. But none of them are more luminous than Rutherford, the valley’s once and future cabernet heartland. The distinctive character of a Rutherford cab has acquired the sobriquet Rutherford Dust. Reportedly the great Beaulieu Vineyard enologist André Tchelistcheff once sniffed a glass of Georges de Latour Private Reserve and commented, “I can smell the Rutherford dust.” I have come to believe that all he really meant was that he recognized a wine from the de Latour estate – and yet many observers, including me at times, have noted a certain quality in Rutherford bench wines, a minerality perhaps, or a graphite-like scent of clean dusty gravel.

The Rutherford AVA was only formal- ized ten years ago. But the name Ruther- ford has been synonymous with Napa Valley cabernet since the 19th century. There have been as many changes since then, large and small, as there might be in a primeval organism progressing from proto- zoan to quadruped.
Rutherford’s historical prominence in the overall Napa Valley cabernet pic- ture continues. Recent vintages have seen an explosion of wineries bottling Rutherford-designated cabernets- at least two dozen in 2000 (the cur- rent vintage for most wineries). And many Napa Valley wineries rely on a dollop of precious Rutherford cab to power up a Napa Valley blend.
“Rutherford is the historic center of cabernet sauvignon in California,” notes Andy Beckstoffer, the largest grower in Rutherford, with some 400 acres in varied locations. “André Tchelistcheff told me that when he came to California in the late thirties there were only 120 acres of cabernet in the whole state. Half of that was in Rutherford, at BV and Inglenook. When I came here in the sixties there were still only six cabernet producers in Napa Valley.” Today, virtually every Napa Valley winery produces cabernet sauvignon. Nearly 60 per- cent of Rutherford’s 3,298 acres of vines are cabernet, accounting for about 15 percent of the Napa Val- ley’s cabernet acreage.
It was no accident that legendary Napa Valley wine men of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, such as Gus- tay Niebaum and Georges de Latour, found- ed their wine estates on the gentle slopes around a one-time train stop called Ruther- ford. It’s a sweet spot in the valley, like the fabled sweet spot on a baseball bat or a ten- nis racket. And it especially favors cabernet sauvignon. Indeed, if a panel of viticultur- ists were granted divine powers and told to design an ideal cabernet environment, they would have a hard time trumping the Rutherford district.
Rutherford lies at a critical point in the valley’s topographic and climatic continu- um, between the flatter, more open lower valley and the narrower, rockier upper val- ley. Its vineyards grow on well-drained allu- vial soils, basking in morning and midday sun but mostly (except on the eastern slopes) getting early relief from the harshest
afternoon heat.
There’s a tenderness to the summer blaze there, thanks largely to the slightly cooler exposure along with a localized Pacific
influence. A faint sigh of cool, moist air from the Russian River Valley via a net- work of mountain canyons tempers the hottest days.
It’s not an immediately obvious influ- ence. A person trudging through a Ruther- ford vineyard on a warm August day might not feel it. But the grape vines feel its cumulative effect throughout the season,
and it shows in their fruit. That moisture- sweetened heat infuses the grapes and radi- ates softly in Rutherford cabernets.
It is resplendent in some of the classic Rutherford cabs of yesteryear that I’ve tast- ed over the last year. The 1941 Inglenook is a case in point. From the succulent splash of 60-year-old sunshine at its heart, through layers of time-sculpted complexity, it’s still a majestic wine. The 1951 Beaulieu, an ele- gant garnet beauty with deep, luscious fla- vor and a long tobacco-nuanced finish, is another good example. And the Inglenook 58 Cask F-10 has matured into the silky essence of sunshine itself it seems to shine on the palate.
Rutherford was one of the earliest parts of the Napa Valley to produce wine com- mercially in significant volume. When Napa Valley pioneer George C. Yount arrived in 1836, he was given 11,814 acres of land by General M.G. Vallejo, Mexico’s colonial governor in Alta California; the land grant still appears as Caymus Rancho
on USGS maps of the valley.
Twenty-six years later. Yount’s grand- daughter Lillie married Thomas Ruther- ford. As a wedding gift from Grandpa they received 1,040 acres of Caymus Rancho at a relatively wide spot in the valley between modern-day Oakville and St. Helena.
Four years after the wedding a railroad line was extended up the valley, with a Rutherford station stop among the burgeoning vines. Thus, the Rutherfords gave their name to what would eventually become some of the most revered viticultur- al land in California.
Even more than a century after that, the Rutherford AVA was not easily defined (see “Wrangling in the Rutherford Dust, W&S June ’93). It embraces a wide cross-section of the valley, from well above the town of Rutherford to well below it, and from one side to the other up to around the 400-foot contour. The realities of the Rutherford American Viticultural Area defined by the BATF in ’93 are quite a bit more specific than the nearly mythological state of enchant- ment conjured in the wine lover’s imagination by the name Rutherford.
The so-called Rutherford Bench was the essence of the original AVA petition, and remains the heart of the AVA. The term bench is com- mon in descriptions of river valleys throughout the West. It generally refers to a shoulder or bank of sedi-
ment between the valley floor and steep slopes-part ancient river- bank, part slough zone for debris from higher up. In this case, it refers to a single, large alluvial fan.
The benchland soils are diverse in specif- ic profiles, but they have several things in common. They are composed of materials transported down the steep Mayacamas slopes over time, primarily by water. Their component materials are mainly marine (the uplifted Franciscan bedrock mélange) bur also include volcanic material (decomposed lavas and ashes deposited during an explo- sive geological period known as the Sonoma Volcanics). And they are almost all aerated, well-drained gravelly loams the excep- tions being the same kind of patches and lenses of unsuitable material found in all appellations, including the likes of, say, Pauillac or Corton.
The benchland is also the appellation’s historical locus. Here, the full range of the Napa Valley wine story can be tracked through waves of vineyard development, from the pioneers to the current cutting edge.

The fabled vineyards of settlers such as Thomas Rutherford were here before the 1880s phylloxera devastation, which virtu- ally erased them as if they had never exist- ed. The vines of Gustav Niebaum (whose 1887 Inglenook wines were the first in Cal- ifornia to be estate-bottled rather than shipped in bulk) were reportedly propagat- ed on resistant rootstock in time to survive phylloxera, and then survived Prohibition. Georges de Latour established Beaulieu Vineyard after phylloxera, and his vines also survived Prohibition.
Most of the great vineyards were planted after Repeal (1933). But not much hap- pened until the first stirrings of a Napa Valley renaissance in the 1960s.
Freemark Abbey’s Bosché is perhaps the most salient example. The 30-acre planting is among the valley’s most privileged sites, adjacent to the original Georges de Latour vineyard and next door to Niebaum-Coppo- la. Its story is typical of the latter-day pio- neer plantings.
John Bosché, who was born in Chile and became a successful San Francisco attorney, bought a vacation home in Rutherford in the mid-1950s. The property came with an old vineyard made up of diverse grape vari- eties. Not all of them were, shall we say, noble. Bosché began replanting to cabernet sauvignon in 1961, with local grower Lau-
rie Wood as viticultural consultant.
It was a no-brainer to sell the first crops to neighboring Beaulieu (as a component of the Private Reserve in some years), but Bosché kept his eye out for a producer who might want to make a vineyard-designated wine from his vineyard.
That became a real possibility when
Wood and five other partners founded Freemark Abbey in 1967. A year later, Freemark Abbey made three barrels of wine from Bosche’s caberner. BV had already spo- ken for all the fruit in ’69, but the next year Wood and his partners were able to buy half of the vineyard’s yield. Beginning in ’71 they had complete control of the vineyard and all of its fruit, producing a few thousand cases of Cabernet Bosché each year.
The 1970 Freemark Abbey Cabernet Bosché was the first in a sequence that now stands at 33 vintages and counting. I tasted it earlier this year, and it was gorgeous- beautifully firm and vibrant, with a concen- tration that probably reflects the natural crop thinning of that year’s relentless frost season, one of the worst on record. Subsequent vintages have shown a remarkable continuity of Bosché character (tobacco-like earthiness and a touch of green olive, among other things) through each discrete expression of a particular growing season.
The vineyard has continued to evolve. The partners began replanting and upgrad- ing it in the eighties, before clone and root- stock became buzzwords. The winemaking has evolved, too. Throughout the nineties, Cabernet Boschés have been noticeably more luscious and approachable in youth, quietly but firmly on the leading edge of Napa Valley style. The ’00 is generously perfumed and concentrated, with crystal- clear fruit flavors and nicely raspy texture. It echoes on the palate for a long time with a seductive earthy note that might be called Rutherford dust.
The iconic Rutherford bench planting is the original Beaulieu Vineyard, just south of Bosché. Planted by Georges de Latour in 1901 and still owned by his descendents, it has been replanted twice (in the 1960s and 1990s) and remains the core, along with another vineyard two miles south, of BV Georges de Latour Private Reserve. Until recently the Private Reserve was the classic expression of Rutherford bench cabernet sauvignon. A good example is the youthful 1986 that I tasted earlier this year, with its piercing cabernet flavor and clear earthy note. Yet during the 1990s, the Private Reserve program came to include fruit from
a number of other Napa Valley vineyards. Still a legendary Napa Valley cabernet, Pri- vate Reserve is no longer the direct expres- sion of Georges de Latour’s “beautiful place” at the heart of the AVA.
Beaulieu’s place as the iconic Rutherford estate has been taken or regained, from
the historical perspective-by the re- invented Gustave Niebaum-Inglenook estate just to the south. Owner Frances Coppola has spent years piecing the original Niebaum property back together after the disastrous years under corporate ownership when the name Inglenook became synony- mous with cheap Central Valley jug wine.
History came full circle during the 2002 vintage. In that year grapes from the his- toric Gustav Niebaum vineyard were vini. fied in the original Niebaum estate winery for the first time in 36 years. The room is
little more than a compact wooden box inside the old chateau, filled with big wooden tanks and lots of vaguely nautical- looking hardware, some old and some brand-new. No doubt it reflects Capt. Niebaum’s maritime esthetic; it’s easy to imagine it inside an old-time sailing ship.
The gleaming metal gadgetry looks futuristic (the handheld pneumatic punch- down pistons, for example), yet it’s simply bringing a mechanical advantage to tasks performed with muscle power a century ago -“Captain Niebaum meets Captain Nemo,” as winemaker Scott McLeod puts it. The reference to 19th century sci-fi writer Jules Verne is apt. You might say McLeod is making wine in a time machine.
The little gem of a winery was considered state-of-the-art when it first produced wine in 1887. It was noted by early observers of
the California wine industry. “To ensure a proper receptacle for the wines, Captain Niebaum erected a cellar and winery, which was completed in 1887, and which, for per- fection of detail and elegant finish, has no equal in America,” wrote Frona Eunice Wait in her 1889 book, Wines and Vines of Califor nia. Wait went on to describe a winemaking regime that is remarkably similar to the one practiced today.
I tasted several lots of ’02s in the winery during crush. Some were in mid-fermentation and still sweet, like ambrosial syrup. The cabernet from the 35-year-old Garden block smelled and tasted like chewy violet candy. which McLeod said is typical. That historic wine is now resting in barrels, something to anticipate with pleasure. Meanwhile, McLeod produced two stunning cabs in 99: the pow erfully intense, tightly-wound Rubicon (with about ten percent other Bordeaux varieties) and the richer, more rustic all-cab Cask. The 100 Rubicon (93 percent cab), an opulent wine with massive, supple tannin and earthy dark fruit flavors, still shows that piercing note of violets.
At the southern end of the bench, close to where Rutherford’s alluvial fan overlaps the northern Oakville deposit, the Staglin, Rhodes (Bella Oaks) and Sycamore (Freemark Abbey) vineyards also yield distinctive wines. The Staglin ’99 in particular is one of the most impressive Rutherford cabs in memory. Its perfume heralds clear, dark fruit flavors focused by the distinctive high-toned savor of cabernet sauvignon, carried over the palate on waves of fine-textured tannin.
The alluvial benchland merges with deeper river-bottom soils west of Highway 29. I’ve speculated that the wines from this deeper, less-well-drained loam may be a bit richer and more massive than those from higher on the bench, and look forward to seeing whether that plays out in coming vin- tages. The ’02 Bell Cabernet from the Baritelle Vineyard, near the northern appella- tion boundary, is a good example. But do its deep, brooding fruit and teeth- gripping tannin say more about clone (it’s entirely the low-yielding clone 6), wine- making, or terroir? Terroir has the edge in my mind. Other ’02s I’ve tasted from vineyards between the high- way and the river, such as Sawyer and Sequoia Grove, show similar breadth and richness.
Across the Napa River bottomland, the east side of the AVA has its own bench, composed of multiple alluvial fans and mostly volcanic materials. It receives less of the gentle morning sun than the western bench, and more blazing late day heat before the sun dips below the Mayacamas. Do these differences steer cabernet toward brawny fruit and denser, more velvety tan- nins? Time, and a lot of comparative tast- ing, may tell.
Merryvale-Beckstoffer Vineyards ’00 strikes me that way. Its overt lusciousness, svelte tannin and powerful momentum through the palate had me guessing Stags Leap District in a recent blind tasting. But does that have more to do with clone (like the Bell, it’s all clone 6), winemaking (native yeast fermentation, no filtration), or vineyard location? The fact that I find simi- lar qualities in cabs from Caymus, Terraces, and Frank Family, all along the Silverado Trail, suggests that there may actually be a distinctive eastern Rutherford character.
The east side of Rutherford AVA also offers another historical case study in the new Quintessa estate. This is not only the most recent major development in the Rutherford AVA, but the last significant piece of the
Napa Valley floor to be planted in the 20th century. In fact, it may be the last great vine- yard established in the valley, period.
San Francisco restaurateur George Mardikian bought the hilly tract of land near Rutherford in the 1940s, but never developed it. After Mardikian’s death twen- ty years ago, his heirs refused to sell it
effectively holding the spectacular property in trust. Decade after decade, as the valley became a sea of world-famous vineyards, the promising 280-acre parcel between the Sil- verado Trail and the Napa River languished in its natural state.
With its five oak-crowned slopes like so many solar panels angled perfectly to the sun, its well-drained volcanic soils and large spring-fed pond, it was widely regarded as potentially one of the finest pieces of prime vineyard land in the valley. Vintners eyed it enviously, imagining the slopes and swales covered with vines.
When Franciscan Estates founders Agostin and Valeria Huneeus acquired the Mardikian ranch in 1989, it was as if they’d reached back through time to seize a lost treasure. They did justice to the land, not only planting an intricately detailed vineyard (with block names such as Dragon’s Terraces and Cruz del Sur) but also building a splen-
did architectural statement of a winery.
The ’99 Quintessa has deep concentration and complex flavor, along with surprising finesse which may reflect the contribution of some cooler exposures on the property.
In the spring of ’01, I tasted several ’00 Quintessa caberners from barrel. They repre- sented different combinations of soil, expo- sure and slope, and provided some insight to the complexity of expression on the estate. For example, the Dragon’s Terraces wine
Beaution Vineyard showed a roasted-slope character. The Cruz del Sur and Corona Norte demonstrated what a difference a soil shift and steeper slope can make in tannin structure. And the wine from the Howard’s Million block was a vel- very beauty with a fine weight on the palate. The finished ’00 Quintessa, tasted recently, offers a focused cabernet nose-Bordeaux kicked up several notches and concentrar- ed flavor in a long, sleek trajectory through the palate to an elegant finish.
More than anything else, trying to make sense of Rutherford terroir by tasting current wines gives a lesson in the diversity of appellation character. Momentous changes have occurred in the Rutherford wineries and vineyards over the years.
The modern science of controlled fermen- tation was introduced to California in the Beaulieu cellars in the late 1930s. André Tchelistcheff became the pillar of a newly- energized winemaking community based largely in Rutherford, and that momentum has continued through three generations of winemakers as they’ve developed an increas- ingly Rutherford-specific winemaking regime. Their collective focus on tannin management (gentle crushing and pressing, sprinkler-type pumpovers, and cold-soaking, for example) is particularly evident in the sleek, supple wines that were once exception- al and are now almost routine.
Progress in the vineyards has been less immediately visible but perhaps more dramatic. The seemingly steady rise of red Bor- deaux grapes in the appellation has actually been in a series of lurches, each coming on the heels of catastrophes or blessings.
The first phylloxera infestation in the 1880s virtually wiped out California vine- yards. Cabernet gained its foothold in Rutherford during the replanting, and surged again after Prohibition. The second coming of phylloxera, in the 1980s, necessi- tated replanting nearly three-quarters of the Napa Valley. This time cabernet (along with merlot) exploded.
Generally speaking, during economic downturns the Napa Valley wine industry has made it through largely on its solid cabernet sauvignon-based reputation. And economic booms, coming roughly once per decade between WWII and the turn of the millenni- um, have further stimulated production of cabernet, the so-called blue chip varietal.
The most recent replanting was particu- larly significant in Rutherford vineyards because it resulted in a consolidation of clones, selections and rootstocks particularly suited to the terrain – like the develop- ment of Rutherford-specific winemaking, this is a tighter interface between terrain, grape, and culture.
“Most of these vines are only seven years old or so,” notes Beckstoffer. “The viticulture is changing every day. We’re still learning
how to farm with this new set of clones and rootstocks. So character is going to come in the future, with more vineyard designation and more attempt to show the vineyard rather than the winemaker.”
As it had been in the first decade of the 20th century, Beaulieu was a major influence in the evolution of Rutherford’s vineyards. Winemakers Tom Selfridge and Joel Aiken began a substantial test planting of cabernet clones during the early 1980s. By the time major re-planting was underway ten years later, several clones and selections had been identified as particularly suitable for the local terrain. Several of those, notably the so-called Jackson Clone (#6) were embraced by Andy Beckstoffer and other Rutherford growers, fur- ther differentiating the Rutherford vineyards from the rest of the valley
So the challenge to tasters in 2003 is to begin focusing on the AVA geographi- cally. Are there differences between wines from different sectors? In the greater Napa Valley AVA it’s become increasingly clear that wines from different parts of the valley have their own characteristics – the heroic proportions of Stags Leap District cabs, for example, or the raspy, black-fruit concen- tration of those from the Calistoga area. What about north Rutherford vs. the south, the bench vs. the valley floor?
Thus, even while working toward the intuitive principle of the classical European appellation model, which attempts to define viticultural homogeneity, the Rutherford AVA seems to be differentiating itself internally. It’s up to astute observers and consumers to identify the winegrowing areas that have specific Rutherford character within their Napa Valley character.
Aside from the sheer pleasure of drink- ing well, tasting along with history is one of most rewarding aspects of a lifelong interest in wine. For thousands of years, generations of wine lovers have witnessed the emergence of wine regions and the development of their wine styles, at differ- ent times in many different places.
This is the age of New World wine.

Robert Mondavi Winery and Beckstoffer Vineyards announced Monday they have settled their dif- ferences over the use of the name “To Kalon Vineyard,” referring to a historic 359-acre plot of Oakville land given that name by wine industry pioneer Hamilton W. Crabb in 1868. The land today is divided among three owners: Mondavi, which owns about 250 acres; UC Davis, which owns about 20 acres; and Beckstof- fer Vineyards, which owns about 89 acres and sells some grapes to stoffer limits the number of cases it Schrader Cellars of Napa.
The Mondavi winery filed suit in federal court in November 2002 after the trademarked “Tokalon” name appeared on the 2000 Schrad- er Cellars cabernet sauvignon. The Mondavi winery contended that Schrader’s use of the name on his label would infringe upon Mon- davi’s “To-Kalon” and “To-Kalon Vineyard” trademarks, which were issued in 1987.
But on Monday, Mondavi granted Beckstoffer a royalty-free trade- mark license to use “To Kalon Vine- yard” on the condition that Becksells bearing the name. What that limit is will not be disclosed, said Mondavi spokeswoman Sandra Timpson.
“Basically, we were concerned our control over the trademark would be lost,” Timpson said. “We also wanted to be certain the (To Kalon-labeled) wine sold by Beck- stoffer would be top of the line. We trust (Beckstoffer) will be selling this brand to his top producers and that we are all going to strive to make the best product.”
As part of the settlement, Mon- davi will join Andy Beckstoffer in
his efforts to establish a Registry of Historic Napa Valley Vineyards that maps out and distinguishes the local vineyards originated by various Napa Valley pioneers. The registry, according to Beckstoffer, will pay homage to Napa’s agricultural his- tory and make certain that disputes like this won’t happen in the future.
“I’m pleased with this settlement and protect the roots of the Napa because we are going to recognize Valley, and that’s very important,” Beckstoffer said. “Now what’s left is to see which one of us can make the best (To Kalon Vineyard) wine. The competition will be good for the product.”

Inside a barn near Yountville, vineyard crew managers sit in a circle discussing the business of harvesting grapes. Outside an open door, rows of grapevines stretch in manicured lines, with nutrient-rich earth between them. Vineyard owner Andy Beckstoffer wants to make sure that’s a scene that plays out time and again on the land long after he’s gone.
In what could be the beginning of a huge donation to perpetuity, he said plans to eventually donate conservation easements on 900 of his 1,000 acres of county vineyards to the Land Trust of Napa County.
The Land Trust recently announced Beckstof- fer donated a conservation easement on all four parcels of Vineyard X, a 40-acre property neigh- boring Brix Restaurant at 7317 St. Helena High- way near Yountville.
Although Beckstoffer admitted it was unlikely
the land would be turned into housing in the near future, the conservation easement would keep the land free from further development decades from now, when yet unforeseen growth may change the face of the valley.
“We just eliminated the possibility of adding four homes and four wineries on the site,” he said.
John Hoffnagle, executive director of the Land Trust, said it was a great deal for the land preservation nonprofit.
“Each one of those parcels can have a large estate,” he explained.
A conservation easement freezes the level of development the way it is on the day it’s donated.
In the case of Vineyard X, it has one home for farmworker housing. Even if pests devastate the land, it will stay safe from further development.
“There’s no provision that says if ag doesn’t pay, you can get out of it,” he said.
According to the Land Trust, Beckstoffer Vineyards is one of the 20 largest grape growers in California, owning 3,238 acres of vineyards in Napa, Mendocino and Lake Counties.
In Napa County Bekstoffer plans to make sure vineyard land is used only for grapes.
“The plan is to place the majority of it in ease- ments,” he said.
Some pieces of his property he sees as partic- ularly lucrative to development.
“For example, the piece behind Pinot Blanc (restaurant) could easily be turned into houses.”
The St. Helena general plan has a portion of that vineyard designated for high density residen- tial use.
Trust president sold Beckstoffer on idea Beckstoffer said Joel Tranmer, president of the Land trust, had a large role in convincing him to donate the easement.
Tranmer is a retired business owner who vol- unteers his time as the president of the Land Trust.
“I’ve known Andy for years and I’ve always known he wanted to protect his land,” he said. “He was just looking for the best vehicle.”
That can be no small task given the legal avenues that heirs to an estate can pursue.
“Wills get contested all the time,” he said. “A hundred years from now someone could say Andy didn’t know what he was doing.”
Or, he said, they could argue to a judge that agriculture is not the best use of the land, legally breaking the will and paving the way for devel-
opment.
But conservation easements can’t be contest- ed, Tranmer said.
They’re immune from the legal contests wills encounter, and are recognized by federal agen- cies and the Internal Revenue Service.
For donors, the benefits also include a one- time tax write-off to the tune of the value of the homes or winery sites that might be developed.
According the the Land Trust, Beckstoffer’s donation brings the total conservation easements given to the Land Trust up to 8,800 acres form 36 vintners, grapegrowers and agricultural land owners in the valley.
The nonprofit said it has preserved almost 33,000 acres of land since its inception in 1976.
That’s about six percent of the 505,000 acres of land in the county.
Hoffnagle said most acres preserved by the Trust occupy the Howell or Mayacamas mountains and other parts of the valley “viewshed.”
Tranmer said the largest donation the trust ever received was a 1,300 acre ranch from the late Jiles Mead, who also donated $1 million.
The organization has eight full-time employees and about 200 active volunteers out of 1600 members.
Tranmer, whose father was one of the founding members of the land Trust, said the nonprofit’s annual budget is about $650,000. “Most of what we do is monitoring,” Tranmer said.
Each year, he said someone form the land trust goes out to a protected site and makes sure the land isn’t developed or encroached upon.
Easement is a gift to Napa Valley
Beckstoffer was part of the so-called third wave of pioneers that helped shape the Napa Valley into what it is today.
“All of us that came here in the 60s and 70s were all into the goal of making great money and great wine,” he said.
And while some of that money from wealthy wine families is regularly donated to charities and fundraisers, Beckstoffer said he and his wife thought protecting the land would be a long-lasting gift to the valley.
“Our legacy will be these vineyards,” he said.

Only 94 percent left to go. That must not seem like such a daunting number to Joel Tranmer today, and the rest of his colleagues at the Land Trust of Napa County.

Not after Andy Beckstoffer, the Valley’s largest grape grower, begins donating in perpetuity, 900 of his 1,000 acres as conservation easements to the Trust.

That will mean that 33,000 acres of the county’s 505,000 acres (or 6 percent)now has been put in trust to the 27-year-old organization. Beckstoffer’s vineyard holdings, forever more, cannot be turned into housing development or winery proper- ty.
Beckstoffer will gradually donate the easements “parcel-by-parcel.” beginning with his 40-acre Vineyard X near Brix
Restaurant on highway
29 in Yountville.
Why would someone such as Beckstoffer offer up his land in such a manner? After all, one might surmise, the ges ture couldn’t have been totally altruistic, consid- ering the tax advantages. “At this point in my career, all or part of the ‘third wave’ of families who came here in the late 1960s and early 70s, are thinking about what to do with the rest of their lives,” Beckstof fer explained to me. “I want to make sure the land stays in agriculture and in open space, and I want to give back to the community.
Beckstoffer, a grower
without a wine brand, said he also donated the easement so that those growers that came before him such as the Lewellings and the Stellings – will have a place in Napa history.
“No one knows they were here,” he said. “This is a way to establish your roots.”
But what about those tax advantages?
“There are serious tax advantages here. I don’t know what those tax benefits are…. But it’s seri- ous money.
“You don’t do this for the tax advantage, but it helps ease the pain. And it’s not all pain. You get some major league help from feeling good…. No, it’s not all altruistic,” he admitted. “It’s a way of establishing some roots for your family.”
What he means is that he’ll now be able to pass on his land holdings to his heirs, who won’t have to take on a tax burden, which would be astronom- ical under normal inheritance circumstances. Beckstoffer insisted he did not know how much savings that might be, when I asked him.
“I know there’s a cost, but you don’t take them down to the penny,” he answered.
“What we didn’t want to do, is have anybody else want to develop it.”
Tranmer, too, acknowledged that there are tax advantages to those who donate land to the Trust, but he told me, “I think people do it for the right reasons. There are some tax advantages, but I haven’t met anybody who has done it for those reasons.”
Tranmer, who has been described by Beckstof- fer as one of the “real environmentalists, long before the days of Chris Malan,” believes that with Beckstoffer in the fold, others will follow
suit.
“Andy, being the single largest grower in the county, is very important. People listen to him. He’s really setting an example.”
Beckstoffer hopes that’s the case as well. “Hopefully, it’ll motivate other people to do
something for the community,” he said.
Beckstoffer wants it known that environmental
issues are important to him, despite what others might believe.
“We’re as concerned for this environment as people who scream about putting initiatives on the ballot,” he explained. “This is real stuff, in terms of preserving it (the land).
He added that he hopes the environmentalists will appreciate what he has done.
“I hope this engenders a little trust,” he said. “We all have the same goals, but nobody trusts anybody.”
Beckstoffer insists that what he is doing “is not a great thing. But I hope others will think about it. We’re at a stage of life, you need to take care of your family, and to give back to the community.”

At 63, grape grower Andy Beckstoffer, as robust as one of the Cabernet Sauvignon wines made from his grapes, is still adding vineyards to his 3,000-acre viticultural treasure trove in Napa, Mendocino and Lake counties. As Beckstoffer expands his holdings, he’s also pondering his mortality, taking steps to permanently protect the historic Napa Valley vineyards he has collected during the past 30 years.
He is the North Coast’s largest indepen- dent grape grower, with a wine grape em-
pire that spreads from Napa Valley to Mendocino County, and now to Lake County, where he’s developing 1,000 acres in the Red Hills area near Lower Lake.
The courtly Virginian’s business acu- men brought Heublein Inc., a multi-na- tional conglomerate, into the wine busi- ness and him into the vineyards. Beckstof- fer has made a fortune growing grapes. Now he’s looking to give something back to the Napa Valley wine region.
“I take a lot of pride in being a farmer,” said Beckstoffer, who doesn’t own a win- ery. He has always focused on growing grapes, selling his fruit to more than 50 wineries, many of them producers of luxury wines.
While he prides himself on being a farmer, Beckstoffer has also been a public policy pioneer for the wine in- dustry, championing the preservation of agricultural land.
Beckstoffer plans to preserve near- ly 1,000 acres of his prime Napa Val- ley vineyards with legal protections that lock up the land for farming or open space. His heirs will continue to farm the land and sell the grapes, prospering as farmers, not land devel- opers.
“This will tie my family to the Napa Valley forever,” said Beckstof- fer, whose speech is tinged with a Southern drawl even after more than 30 harvests in Wine Country.
He declined to put a price tag on his 3,000 acres of North Coast vine- yards, but estimates by land experts put the value at more than $300 mil- lion.
He has already protected one of his vineyards through an agreement with the Land Trust of Napa County with more to follow. Land Trust officials believe Beckstoffer’s lead will encour- age other grape growers to preserve their vineyards, too.
“It’s very significant that someone who owns as much Napa Valley land as Andy is making the move to perma- nently protect it. Andy is a dedicated steward of the land, and he’s doing this for all the right reasons,” said Joel Tranmer, president of the Land Trust of Napa County.

Farmland or parks
Beckstoffer said he will continue to put conservation easements on his other Napa Valley vineyards in the years ahead, taking advantage of tax benefits while knowing the land will
be producing fine wine grapes for cen- turies to come.
Even if the glassy-winged sharp- shooter or some other plague, pesti- lence or prohibition wipes out the wine industry, Beckstoffer said the land will remain as farm land or parks.
“The preservation agreement will be iron-clad so some spouse of a great- great-great-grandchild doesn’t fight and undo it. This is some of the best vineyard land in the world. I want it to stay in the family and never be de- veloped,” he said.

Man of foresight
Beckstoffer has been a wine indus- try leader and visionary since coming to the Napa Valley in 1969. He found- ed the Napa Valley Grape Growers Association and became active in land-use issues aimed at protecting ag ricultural land.
“Andy is a man of foresight, a vi sionary who helped bring the Napa Valley to world-class status. He brought an outside attitude to the val ley that took us to where we needed to be,” said Bob Steinhauer, vineyard manager at St. Helena-based Beringer Vineyards since 1979.
Beckstoffer and his wife of 42 years Betty Beckstoffer, have five grown children. Son David Beckstoffer, a graduate of Stanford University, has returned to the family business, over- seeing farming operations on the more than 3,000 acres of vineyards in Napa, Mendocino and Lake counties.
Andy Beckstoffer said it’s not real- ly his desire to rule his family from the grave. But the methodical plan- ning for the future is in keeping with the take-charge attitude that has char acterized his life as family patriarch, industry leader, businessman and wine grape entrepreneur.

Virginia native
A native of Richmond, Va., Beckst- offer attended Virginia Tech Universi- ty on a football scholarship and earned a degree in engineering. He be- came smitten with California in the early ’60s when he was in the Army and visited San Francisco..
After military service, he returned to the East Coast to earn a master’s degree from Dartmouth College’s Amos Tuck School of Business. Armed with a prestigious degree, a brilliant mind and lots of get-up-and- go, Beckstoffer was recruited in 1966 by Connecticut-based Heublein Inc., a food and liquor conglomerate, as an analyst in production and finance.
Within three years, his planning and business acumen would bring
him to the Napa Valley.
Beckstoffer convinced Heublein ex- ecutives of the great investment op- portunities in the California wine in- dustry.
“All the studies we prepared clear- ly showed where the premium wine market was headed,” said Beckstof- fer. “Heublein was one of the first to discover the super-premium wine po- tential.”
To get Heublein in the wine busi- ness, Beckstoffer and his team negoti- ated the purchase of a majority inter- est in United Vintners, a company that owned Inglenook, one of Napa Valley’s oldest premium wineries. Beckstoffer, just 28 years old, moved to the Napa Valley in 1969 af- ter being appointed vice president of planning for United Vintners. That
year he negotiated Heublein’s pur- chase of Beaulieu Vineyards – Napa Valley’s most famous wine estate from the Marquise de Pins, daughter of winery founder Georges de Latour. In 1970, Heublein formed a small subsidiary, Vinifera Development Corp., to farm the parent company’s grape-growing land and to establish new vineyards. Beckstoffer was named president of the new company, learning grape growing from the ground up.
He adopted new vineyard technolo- gies such as overhead sprinkler sys- tems for frost protection and closer vine spacing. And he began replacing old-fashioned grapes such as petite sirah and carignane with cabernet sauvignon, now the Napa Valley’s sig- nature grape.

Buys coveted parcels
In 1973, Beckstoffer bought the Vin- ifera Development Corp. from Heublein, adding vineyards in Napa and Mendocino counties to his company’s portfolio. Over the past 30 years, he continued to pick up covet- ed vineyard parcels such as the old Beaulieu Vineyard No. 3, the Ruther-
ford vineyard originally developed by de Latour and the source of Beaulieu’s finest wines.
Beckstoffer doesn’t own vineyards in Sonoma County, drawing ques- tions about his opinion of Sonoma as a premium grape-growing region.
“I like Sonoma County,” said Beck- stoffer, “It’s just that we’ve never had the opportunity to buy the kind of large-scale vineyard, 1,000 acres or more, that would make it feasible for
us to farm in Sonoma County.”
He said if the right vineyards be- came available at the right price, he would be growing grapes in Sonoma County.
Beckstoffer said many of his best vineyards were purchased during down cycles in the wine business. With the current downtrend, he’s on the lookout for prized properties that may be put up for sale.
“It’s not so much that the price drops for great land in difficult times. It’s just that the land becomes avail- able,” said Beckstoffer. His philoso- phy: “Buy only the best and pay what the market demands.”
Beckstoffer embraces science and technology to produce superior grapes. He mixes and matches new rootstocks with clones of select varietals for specific vineyard sites, allow ing grapevines to reach their ultimate potential in the soil and climate where they are planted.
He has taken his grape-growing know-how to Lake County, where in 1997 he started buying land, old wal- nut orchards and a cattle ranch. Plans are to develop 1,000 acres of vineyards, with more than half al- ready planted and some of the acre- age in production.
“We are exporting all of the new technology we learned and developed in the Napa Valley to the Red Hills district of Lake County in an attempt to truly make that area premium wine country,” said Beckstoffer.

More affordable wine
He said the goal is to grow red grapes of excellent quality to make premium California wines more af- fordable. Instead of $50 to $75 for a Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon, Beckstoffer said the Lake County vineyards could produce a great cab- ernet sauvignon for $20 a bottle. That’s because land prices are so much cheaper. In Lake County, land for vineyards is about $10,000 an acre, compared to $200,000 an acre in Napa County.
“When Andy Beckstoffer came to Lake County to grow grapes, we knew we had arrived,” said Shannon Gunier, executive director of the Lake County Winegrape Commission. She said Beckstoffer has been gener- ous in sharing information on vine- yard development and hillside ero- sion control.
Since the early ’90s, Beckstoffer also has been moving to sustainable farming, a system that uses biological controls rather than chemicals to con- trol pests and diseases.
“No one wants to work with tox- ics,” he said.
And he is still figuring how to use the explosion of grape-growing infor- mation over the past decade in his vineyards from Carneros to Lower Lake.
“The adoption of new global tech- nologies, rootings and clones in the vineyard and the attitude to strive for the highest quality allows us to enter the 21st century as consistent produc- ers of many of the best wines in the world,” he said.
Beckstoffer sells his grapes to more than 50 wineries, working closely with the winemakers who will show- case his grapes.
Celebrated winemaker Paul Hobbs, owner of Paul Hobbs winery in Sebas- topol, buys grapes from the Beckstof- fer Tokalon Vineyard in Oakville to produce a cabernet sauvignon that
commands more than $100 a bottle.
“It makes great wine,” said Hobbs. “It’s all the stuff that everybody talks about in a classic, great cabernet. It’s a beautifully elegant wine with power and finesse.”
Beckstoffer prefers to let passionate winemakers like Hobbs make wine from his grapes. As a dedicated farm- er, Beckstoffer said he remains fo- cused on growing great grapes, with no plans to ever venture into wine- making.
“Just because you grow good wheat doesn’t mean you can sell bread,” said the grape grower.

You can reach Staff Writer Tim Tesconi at 521-5289 or ttesconi@pressdemocrat.com.

Andy Beckstoffer farms more than 2,000 acres of vines in Napa and Mendocino counties on California’s North Coast. More than a dozen wineries use Beckstoffer fruit in vineyard-designated wines and more than 50 premium wineries buy his grapes. So when Beckstoffer began planting grapes in Lake County, the wine world took notice.

In 1997, Beckstoffer bought a 632- acre property which he calls Amber Knolls, which was planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet franc and Petit Verdot. In 1998 he added the 84-acre Red Hills Vineyard for
Cabernet Sauvignon and in 1999 the 400-acre Crimson Ridge Vineyard, which will also be planted to Caber- net Sauvignon. All the vineyards are in the proposed Red Hills American Viticultural Area.
Why would a grower with famous vineyards in Napa Carneros, Oakville and Rutherford start planting grapes in Lake County? The answer is Cab- ernet Sauvignon.
“We think North Coast Cabernet is exciting. You can grow Cabernet better north of San Francisco than anywhere in the world and Lake County has simply been overlooked,” Beckstoffer said in a recent interview.
Beckstoffer cited several attractions
in Lake, including the hillside soils- sandy and well-drained—and, not to be overlooked, relative land costs compared to Napa. In Napa, raw land can cost between $70,000 and $100,000 per acre. That initial investment can be halved in Lake County.
“You do need to go above 2,000 feet to find the best soils for Cab- ernet. I would say over 2,000 and below 2,400,” he said. “You have to be picky.”
Can Lake County match Napa for quality?
“It isn’t about whether you can challenge Napa. But look, in the last few years, $25 Napa Cabernet has gone to $40. We can still make an outstanding Cabernet in Lake for $25, doing the same viticulture we do in Napa, which means doing it right,” Beckstoffer said.
In his Lake County plantings, Beck- stoffer is using precision farming techniques that can track irrigation and nutrient needs in blocks as small as seven acres. The plantings
were done using satellite technology with rows based on elevation, plotted to a few centimeters. He spent two years doing the research before the first vines were planted. He already has contracts to sell grapes to 11 wineries, including Caymus, Chalone and Stag’s Leap. The grapes are priced to focus on the $20-a-bottle market. Beckstoffer says that by having grapes in three regions, it gives his organization more depth and adds to the ability to take risks and to
experiment with different varieties, different clones and rootstocks and different viticultural techniques.
He likes Mendocino Cabernet but said it was getting tough to find good land for Cabernet there, another reason for the investment in Lake County. “I also like work- ing with Mendocino Chardonnay,” he said.
Napa, he said, is going to get better. “The thing to remember is that because of phylloxera, there are a lot of new plantings. Now, 2002 looks like a fabulous year, and the vines are still young. As the vines get a little age on them, the wines will be even better,” Beckstoffer said.
He pointed out that the information available now to growers gives them much more knowledge of a par- ticular site and how grapes adapt to that site. “We can look at the microclimate of a bunch of grapes now and tell how much sun is getting to them, rather than how hot the vine is. In the next 10 years, we will continue to develop new information technology to learn more about what is happening in the soils and water use. And all of that technology is being applied to Lake County, right from the start,” he said.
Beckstoffer grows several hundred acres of Cabernet in the Rutherford AVA, which should put him on good terms with that elusive “Rutherford Dust.”
“You can define it in two ways,” he said. “In terms of terroir, the total is more than the sum of the parts. If you go back to the old days at Beaulieu, André Tchelist- cheff was always interested in the vineyards. It all comes down to an orientation to the earth, the combi- nation of elements that makes Rutherford a little different than Oakville. Secondly, there is the attitude. If you have the attitude that you are going to make great wines, that interacts with the terroir.”
He added, “The wines we are pro- ducing now are different than the wines from the ’80s. But there is still a definite sense of place.”

A tough year in a hardscrabble market may be just the time to expand. Which is why William Andrew (Andy) Beckstoffer, the grand old man of Napa Valley grape growers, is spending $25 million—and not on familiar soil. “We’re Napa people, but the quality here is just so much better,” says Beckstoffer, striding his red-dirt and obsidian hillside in nearby Lake County. He hopes his 1,000-acre spread—30 miles and several income levels from the Napa border—will be the center of a new wine appellation, like Carneros in Napa or Margaux in France.

The expansion comes at a time of softening grape prices and a market worried about consumer demand. Beckstoffer, 62, calls it “the riskiest thing I’ve ever done.” If it works, it could spark a boom in a region of pear orchards and bulk grapes—where the land goes for one-twentieth the price of a Napa parcel just to the south. It will also bootstrap the fortunes of Beckstoffer Family Vineyards, his holding company (2001 sales: $26 million). Now Lake is “an economic ghetto,” the grower says. (The county’s median household income is 61% that of Napa’s.) “It will be wine country … fashionable.”

Hard to believe, in a county with 4 wineries to Napa’s 250 and with none of Napa’s exclusive restaurants and posh inns. But Beckstoffer figures that even if the market collapses from a glut or a sour economy, he can still supply fruit for $12 bottles—up to 500,000 cases a year by 2008 when his vines are fully produc- ing—and still make a profit.

He should know. Beckstoffer came to Napa in 1969, a dicey time, with an M.B.A. from Dartmouth’s Tuck school. He worked in vineyard management for Heublein—he convinced the company to get into winemaking—at the start of the region’s explosion and the height of the grape boycotts. His wine cellar boasts an empty Inglenook bottle signed by labor leader Cesar Chavez, drunk the night they settled years of labor dispute.

His first independent venture, in 1973, nearly buried him. Taking out an adjustable $6 million loan that started at 7%, Beckstoffer got nailed by stagflation, as cabernet prices fell to $400 a ton from $800 in one year, and interest rates jumped, peaking at 15%. Heublein, which still needed grapes, snatched back his land and kept him on as a contract farmer. It took him five years to clear the debt. Thanks to a boom in demand for quality U.S. wine, and a buy-and-hold ethic for good land, Beckstoffer now owns 3,000 acres, worth perhaps $200 million, in Napa and Mendocino counties. His grapes go into 50 wines, including the Beringer, Merryvale and Stag’s Leap labels.

His secret for the Lake project isn’t just finding suitable land at $10,000 an acre, compared with Napa’s $200,000 acres. Beckstoffer and his neighbors, which include Beringer Blass Wine Estates and Kendall- Jackson, have figured out that a certain altitude in the right part of Lake County, between about 2,000 and 2,400 feet, has a daily heating and cooling cycle similar to Napa’s. Find the right hill with access to water, and it’s a winner. Another advantage in Lake County is the absence of the glassy-winged sharpshooter, an insect that’s plaguing growers in Napa and Sonoma counties. It spreads Pierce’s disease, caused by a bacterium capable of ruining a vineyard in one season.

Good grapes are one thing. More than ever the wine business is about marketing, and now that starts with growers. Beckstoffer and others have petitioned the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to designate their patches “the Red Hills District.” The appellation sets the hills apart from low-quality cabernet grown on nearby flatland. Chalone Wine Group (nasdaq: CHLN – news – people ), a $43 million (sales) public company producing an annual 600,000 cases of wine from small estates charging anywhere from $9 to $75 a bottle, uses Red Hills grapes for much of its Dynamite Vineyards cabernet, which costs $15 to $17 a bottle. Dynamite is made in Sonoma now, but Chalone is relocating the winery to 48 acres it purchased in Lake. “This is one of the last areas in California where you can get great quality at a reasonable price,” says Thomas Selfridge, Chalone’s president. “The key is developing consumer acceptance.”

The guys who have land in Lake may also want the appellation as a means to limit competition. A planting rush in California’s Central Coast has meant an oversupply of chardonnay from there. Prices are falling. There’s still some land available in the Red Hills area, at up to about $15,000 an acre. But few parcels seem big enough, or have sufficient water, for a large-scale project.

Beckstoffer ties the price of his grapes to the retail bottle’s price. With a bigger incentive to hit the $25-a- bottle mark, a lot of technology goes into the new vineyard, all of it geared to optimizing handcrafted wine with the tools of big farming. While a computer-equipped minitractor drives between vine rows, a global positioning system identifies scores of different areas in the vineyard, in case winemakers want grapes from one particular part of the hill. Sensors monitor water levels at 45 points. Areas low on water get extra irrigation. Another sensor on the side of the tractor spots budding weeds and zaps them with a minimal amount of herbicide.

The tractor crosses dry broom, barley and clover grasses, brought in to aid development of the grapevine’s roots, forcing them to search deep in the ground for water early in the season. (The grasses suck up the surface water in the early spring, then die off during the dry summer.) Vines are also stretched on wires and thinned of leaves, so fruit is stressed over vegetation growth. Such techniques have made it possible for Napa and other wine-growing regions to produce an increasing number of high-priced wines.

But the high end may prove a victim of its own success. Between the bear market and terrorism’s disastrous effect on travel, expensive wines are feeling squeezed. “The $70 to $100 bottle has definitely slowed down,” says Chalone’s Selfridge. Which still leaves plenty of room for stuff that goes for $12 or more a pop—and plenty of potential new business for growers like Beckstoffer.

“We’ve been able to make people understand that land is a business asset. More importantly, it’s a heritage, a national treasure. The preservation of the Napa Valley is one of the few things worth a career. We’re basically stewards. The equation is that great grapes make great wine, but you can’t rape the land doing it. I’m not sure I got that very early on, but I’m there now…

– Andy Beckstoffer, 2002

· ROAD TO INNOVATION:

To modify a line of Mr. Coppola’s: accusing Andy Beckstoffer of being a hard-nosed businessman is like handing out speeding tickets at the Indianapolis 500

by Charles McDermid, Editor

At this point in time — let’s call it mid-way through his career — the legacy of Andy Beckstoffer as a pivotal player in the Napa Valley wine industry is as firmly established as the Mayacamas Mountains.

Simply put, he’s had a hand in every major innovation — viticulture-wise, busines-wise or otherwise — in the last 30 years. Do the math: Beckstoffer Vineyards has produced over 140,000 tons of Napa Valley grapes since the 1970s. With a yield of roughly 700 bottles per ton, that’s enough wine to turn your front teeth mauve just thinking about it.

But things weren’t always this way.

There was a time when Beckstoffer woke up every morning and drove from vineyard to vineyard overseeing production with the Russian uber-enologist Andre Tchelistcheff. The scene is easy to imagine: a cigarette dangling ever-present from Tchelistcheff’s lips, a younger Beckstoffer electric with enthusiasm.

It was the 1970s — heady days in the nascent Napa Valley wine industry — and Beckstoffer was playing catch up; attempting to cram painstaking centuries of the art and science of winemaking into a few short growing seasons.

Characteristically, he pulled it off — somehow. And when you hear Beckstoffer speak of the early days — of diseased vines, of burnt tar in open buckets and atrocious, illegal housing conditions — it’s remarkable to note just how far things have come.

The names that inhabit his recollections read like a viticultural roll call of every significant vintner, grape grower, mechanic, engineer and vineyard specialist of the last half century: Jess Manuel, Charles Wagner, Andy Pelissa, Steve Yates, Jack Christiansen, Roy Harris, Drew Aspegren, Bob Steinhauer, Joe Heitz, the list extends so far one could never capture them all.

“He (Beckstoffer) is absolutly a key indidvual,” said longtime Supervisor Mel Varrelman. “He’s one of the largest grape growers and he was also one of the key individuals in framing the winery definition ordinance and estab- lishing the fact that Napa County not only remain a premier wine growing area — but also continue growing rather than importing it’ s product. This is crucial to the Napa Valley.”

Drew Aspegren, who began working for Beckstoffer in 1974, believes Beckstoffer always had an inkling of what to was to come.

“I think that, as strange as it sounds, he had when he started a pretty good vison of what it could be,” Aspegren said.

“I remember years and years ago that he said we’d be selling land for hundreds of thousands of dollars — and this was a long time ago. He had that figured out and he seemed to be willing to push himself and his clients to do cutting edge things; the first drip systems, the first trellis systems, how he put contracts together and how he managed vintner and grower relationships. It was really a a blue print for what’s going on today.

The praise is high, but Beckstoffer is quick to deflect such accolades to those around him.

“Clearly it wasn’t him alone,” said Guy Kay, a veteran Napa Valley grapegrower and political office holder. “But it always takes somebody to stand up and say ‘this is a good idea.’ Andy has definitely provided that kind of leadership.”

He’s not done yet.

“Andy is one of our most delightful advisory directors,” said Sandy Ellis, executive director of the Napa Valley Grape Growers Association and Farm Bureau. “He understands every nuance of the grape growing world. He quietly drops pearls of wisdom into our often animated discussion of the board. He’s passionate about promoting the premium quality of Napa Valley grapes.

He’s certainly a tower of the industry.”

“The grapes are in the ground and the people are on the ground to consistently make the best wine in the world. If we, this generation, could make that statement, that again, is worth a career.”

– Andy Beckstoffer, 2002 BIO BOX:

• Background: Native of Richmond, Virginia. Attends Virginia Tech on football scholarship; graduates with degree in engineering; marries childhood sweetheart, Betty; joins Army.
• 1966-1967: Graduates with an M.B.A. from Dartmouth, joins Heublein, Inc. as Director of Acquisitions and recommends entering California’s wine industry.

• 1969-1970: Negotiates purchase of Beaulieu Vineyards; moves family to California; embarks on study of grapegrowing business and techniques.
• 1970-1980: Installs first irrigation system in Napa Valley; helps form NVGGA; forges bottle prices formula; Beckstoffer Vineyards formed.
• 1980-1990: Purchases vineyards in Mendocino, Napa and Lake Counties; leads NVGGA in obtaining winery definition ordinance.
• 1990-present: Beckstoffer Vineyards is largest independent family owned vineyard company on North Coast.

· Debunking the myths:

A neighbor of 33 years who’s raised five children in the Napa Valley, was awarded Citizen of the Year, and just happened to be a pivotal player in wine and business

by Charles McDermid, Editor
It’s something akin to a cardboard lookalike that the journalists trot out to represent Andy Beckstoffer. It’s a

cliche by now; a facile representation that goes a little like this: Southern accent, youthful looking, soft-spoken, all business.

In 1997 Wine Spectator wrote: “His disarmingly soft Southern drawl and gentle manner belie a reputation for tough, sure-footed negotiating skills.”

In 1999 Vineyard and Winery penned this description: “…looks younger than his 54 years. Tall, tanned and

slender with an ever-present smile and the softest of Southern accents.”

Author James Conaway in his controversial 1990 book, “Napa,” went as far as to write: “He had a soft, Southern accent, large brown eyes, and a nose that gave him a slightly clownish look.”

It goes on like this. The out-of-town writers compose the Beckstoffer portrait with the broadest of strokes, then launch directly into the extensive laundry list of his accomplishments. While some of these surface observations are true, when it all shakes out, the reader is left with an impression more myth than man — a picture as reductive as it is two-dimensional.

And this is a mistake. For if you’ve lived in the Napa Valley for any length of time — or have had the pleasure of a casual moment with Beckstoffer — then it’s easy to realize that there’s more to this man than a good tan, Tidewater inflections and a tremendous career in the wine industry.

For one thing, this man once called a “corporate barracuda” is a fundamental family man. Beckstoffer married his childhood sweetheart, Betty, in 1960 and has raised five children. He has sat on the Board of Trustees of Justin Siena High School and was instrumental in developing an agricultural program at the school. The Beckstoffers were honored as 2001 St. Helena Citizens of the Year.

“The Beckstoffers were nominated by several parties, all of which were pretty comprehensive as to why they should be considered for the honor,” said Rex Stults, CEO of the St. Helena Chamber of Commerce. “The chamber board of directors quickly came to a consensus that the Beckstoffers as a couple deserve the honor for all that they have done in St. Helena, in the wine industry, beyond the valley and most importantly in the local school system. Andy and Betty compliment each other so well. They are a vital asset to our community.”

Furthermore, Beckstoffer’s employees, of which there are many, remain intensely dedicated.

“I came to the valley in 1974 to work for him,” said civil engineer Drew Aspegren. “I still feel pretty loyal to him. As far as a place to grow professionally and to work the conditions were great. Up until that time and probably even now, they were the best working conditions I’ve had in terms of treating employees.”

Volker Eisele has known Beckstoffer for 27 years. Though diametrically opposed politically, the two have found themselves fighting side-by-side against a number of land-use issues.“Andy is exceptionally bright and an excellent businessman,” said Eisele. “Over the years he has understood that agriculture and land protection are essential to the Napa Valley and he has put his money where his mouth is. That is extrememly admirable. He has clearly understood what is needed here and he’s not afraid to make a stand for what’s important. This is what makes him an outstanding citizen.”

Finally, the physical description of Beckstoffer deserves an update.

The so-called “serious businessman” is downright funny; able to break into good-natured, spontaneous profanity. He’s a sports nut, loyal to the Bay Area teams and Big East football. And while he’s never claimed to be a farmer, there is an agrarian vibe that comes off him, a vision of trellises, tractors and such. His six decades have awarded him a well-earned sangfroid and a wolfish grin that’s equal parts mischief and good cheer. And he does, as is so often and aptly documented, have a Southern accent.

“He’s a family man,” Eisele said. “He has children and his children carry on the business. This is what’s impor- tant, to have families staying here and making sure the next generation has land left to farm.”

For three decades, Andy Beckstoffer has influenced viticulture throughout Northern California. As the largest independent family-owned vineyard company on the North Coast, Beckstoffer Vineyards farms more than 1,000 acres in Napa Valley, 1,138 acres in Mendocino and more than 1,100 acres in Lake County. Andy Beckstoffer was instrumental in forming the Napa Valley Grape Growers Association (NVGGA) in 1976 and was an early advocate of the then-radical concept of tying the price of grapes to the retail price of finished wine. He was a major influence in the creation of the Napa County Winery Definition Ordinance (after years of trying to define what constituted a winery, NVGGA recommended their own definition—a required 75 percent of the wine made in the Napa Valley Agricultural Preserve would need to be from Napa Valley Grapes). Beckstoffer was among the first to introduce practices that have revolutionized grape growing: the use of overhead sprinkler systems for frost protection, innovations in trellising and vine spacing, and the use of drip irrigation. Beckstoffer continues to play a role in an ongoing revolution in vineyard management. Wine Business Monthly recently interviewed Andy Beckstoffer and excerpts of that interview follow:

Wine Business Monthly: How many wineries do you sell grapes to and what do you look for in a winery partner?

Andy Beckstoffer: We sell to 54 this year. We look at two things. We look at the ability of the winery to produce good wine. They also need to be able to market it. We want to tie the price of the grapes to the price of wine. If you have a winery that knows how to make wine but doesn’t know how to price it effectively and market it, we’re left in the cold as they are. If you have somebody who can’t make good wine, it’s not going to help to market it at a better price.

We’re looking for somebody who can make and market wine and for somebody we can deal with and communicate with. In most of these things where we sell the best grapes, we go through about a two-year courtship where we are not only looking at the grapes and the wine that comes from it, but also at seeing how we deal together; if there’s something going on in terms of the vineyard and how we can help them; and how they want to interact with us in the vineyard. We want to see if we can set up a long-term relationship because that’s what we’re really trying to do.

We need to establish the relationship over a period of time so the winemakers know what they’re working with.

WBM: You use a bottle price formula for selling grapes.

AB: We are tying the price of grapes to the bottle of wine. We’ve done significant research over a period of time. The price of grapes has generally been 26 percent of the winery’s FOB price, so if you take 26 percent times the cases per ton that a winery gets—which will run between 60 and 70 cases per ton times their FOB price, you will find it is approximately 100 times the retail
price. We’re going after that from the point of view of historical relationships.

What’s really happened that is so surprising and interesting over the past couple of years is that the price of wine has gone up so significantly and people talk about the price of grapes. Really the price of grapes is tied to the price of wine, with the growers hopefully getting a fair share. If you look at those numbers, and we’ve tried to tie this to historic numbers in a rapidly changing environment, you’ll find that those numbers will net the winery a gross profit in the 50 to 60 percent range, which is their historic gross profit. 1 could show you numbers and you could work it on back; you’ll find that the return in today’s investment for the winery and grower is roughly the same. The winery makes probably twice as much investment as the grower does for a dollar of wine revenue and gets twice as much return. But if you’ll assume that the agricultural risk is equal to the marketing risk, the risks are the same, and so the return should be the same.

So the whole bottle price thing, where lots of people talk about it at just 100 times the retail price, is really tied to some historical parameters: both the percentage of grape costs in the FOB, the gross profit for the winery, and return-on-investment numbers.

WBM: Are other growers adopting that way of pricing grapes?

AB: I think a lot of growers are adopting the procedure where the grapes are tied to the market price of the wine. I think most growers in Napa Valley, if they were approached by a winery to buy some fruit, would ask the winery: “What’s the price of the bottle that my grapes are going into?” In the past, somebody would have said, “What’s was the average market price last year?,” which is the commodity index. Rather than doing that, people are now focusing on the price of the bottle of wine. If somebody comes to you and you have Napa Valley Cabernet and they say they want to put it in a $15 bottle of wine, you know they simply can’t do it.

Going beyond that, there are people beginning to use distinct formulas. Generally speaking, I think we have changed the way business is done, particularly in the Napa Valley. The conversation between buyer and seller relates to the value of the end product rather than the commodity index or the district average price for grapes.

WBM: What’s the mix of long and short-term contracts?

AB: We try to sell about 80 percent of our grapes on long-term contracts because if you don’t have any grapes to sell, nobody talks to you, plus you don’t have any opportunity to take advantage of the new star that rises. In terms of the long-term contracts, we do three, five and ten year contracts. But depending on the comfort level of the winery and us, we certainly want to do an evergreen so that if somebody shows up with a bad hair day, we don’t bust up this relationship that’s budding. The more important thing than the actual term is to have some sort of evergreen period where you can work out a difference that might have developed.

WBM: Do you think growers are becoming better businessmen than they used to be?

AB: Absolutely. If you look over the past 30 years, you will find growers much better businessmen. If you look at the 1990s, and back into the 1980s, there’s one thing that’s a shame from my point of view. That is, some of the growers who owned the land in the 1950s and 1960s, who were good farmers then, and are good farmers now, don’t own their land. They don’t own their land because they were bad businessmen back in the 1970s and 1980s. I think the growers are beginning to understand the economics of a bottle of wine, which I don’t think they had any understanding of before. The conversation about bottle prices forces them to understand.

Generally speaking, the information available to us through your magazine and others is so much better today. It allows the grower to be a better businessman and I think he begins to understand that while some people find it distasteful for some reason, they know that if they’re not good businessmen, their families are going to lose their land.

WBM: What’s your view of the wine market post September 11?

AB: Up until maybe a month ago, all the winery buyers were just sitting on their hands not doing anything. All the wineries were looking six months back rather than two years forward. Now we’re finding that in the Napa Valley, more than anywhere else, everybody wants to talk. And the good grapes, to the extent they are available, are gelling contracted up. We are writing contracts as we speak. In Mendocino and in Lake County, there are still people looking a bit back.

Ten or twelve wineries have told me their February 2002 was better than their February 2001 and their March was looking better. I think this idea of looking back rather than forward is fast going away. What ramifications that will have for pricing I don’t know.

My understanding is that the big problem is the bulk wine business. That’s all vintage-dated wine. It can’t sit around for very long. The wineries have to address that problem and whether its going to last six months or a year, I don’t know. I suspect that by this time next year it will all be gone. Demand continues to grow for the wines we sell in double digits. That will eat up the problem.

WBM: So you think we’ll resolve the issues in the bulk wine market?

AB: They just have to be resolved. You can’t sell 2001 Chardonnay in 2004. It’s just old wine: It won’t sell. They’ve got to address that problem. They need to open the wound and then close it. What are they going to do? There can be some pain between here and there for us growers and some vintners, but I think it’s going to be relatively short-term. We’ve had these cycles. I remember 1974, 1983, and 1991, and now this again. The business is still a cyclical business but I would look in this cycle for the depth of the downturn to be less and the length of it to be less, too. We’ll get out of this fine.

WBM: What do you do in the vineyard with respect to sustainability and how has that changed over the years?

AB: We’ve finally gotten a word that communicates a lot of things we’re trying to do. Sustainability is certainly environmental sensitivity but it’s also economic feasibility and social responsibility. We need to consider all those things and become more socially conscious. That’s about sustainability. If we don’t communicate better and be responsible, we’re not going to sustain our businesses.

It’s the same thing with the economics of sustainability. It all has to do with tying the price of grapes to the price of wine. Pricing is much more stable if you do it that way. It doesn’t change the direction it’s going to go, but it does make it much more predictable, and the curves get a little more flat, so you don’t have these wide swings.

In terms of environmental sensitivity, we have some land in Mendocino County that’s organic and we use that as a laboratory to see what it’s like if you go all the way.

Today, we design our vineyard blocks for quality and efficiency and sanitation. The wind will blow up the roads and clean up the bugs. We use cover crops to try to grow the good bugs that eat the bad bugs. We’ve cut way down on any sort of toxins we use. We pull leaves and let air and light solve the problems that the toxins would have. People don’t give us in the North Coast enough credit, but drip irrigation is probably the greatest water conservation measure that has ever hit agriculture in California and it’s very expensive but we all use it today. We’ve got machines that will pick and pluck and do all the things we used to do with toxins. We now don’t just spray every period, if you could, every ten or twelve days. We look at counts to see how many bugs are developing. It is really just a mindset of the things you do everyday. It used to be that farmers loved to drive tractors. They would drive over their ground and they were just beating the hell out of the soil. We don’t do that anymore. We do silt fences and hay bails and everything else to conserve our soil whenever we do anything. I think its just what we do every day, as well as some of the very big things in terms of our viticulture regimes and equipment.

WBM: The situation with the Sierra Club and Napa County has reached a level of crisis.

AB: I think that’s true. Most farmers think of themselves as environmentalists. For myself, I would say in almost all cases, I don’t have any disagreement with their goals. It’s the tactics that are a problem. For example, this timber initiative in Napa County sounds very Draconian. I think it’s a radical element within the Sierra Club that has gone to an initiative and in the initiative process nobody gets to talk about it anymore. I think there’s a clear radical element in Napa County on the environmental side.

I think they are beginning to be recognized as fringe elements rather than the mainstream. It’s going to take a little time and a little pain to get that sorted out and get them defined as radical elements rather than the mainstream of the Sierra Club.

It’s not just Napa County. There were 19 projects tied up in Lake County and now they are beginning to let those things through, as people get more reasonable.

This is a tough conversation because we don’t want to speak ill of environmental interests. We feel like we’re part of that but when they get radical, you wait as long as you can and something needs to happen about it.

WBM: Technology has improved grape quality. What’s the latest and greatest?

AB: You look at the 1970s and 1980s and we all did exactly what we did before although we were learning. And then phylloxera came and gave us a chance to redo everything new.

The technology that’s still going on: drip irrigation, and bench grafts, these things didn’t exist in the 1970s. Quality has come through increased technology. We’re now at a point where the new technology is things like (Global Positioning Systems), and the visual mapping we can do.

While that’s the new technology, I think technology has probably gotten beyond our ability to manage with it right now. We’re trying to find out how to manage with it. For example, our new Lake County development is sort of a rumpled blanket with rolling hills, so we get different exposures, a Southern exposure and a Northern exposure and a Northeast exposure, etcetera. We can graph that with colors. If you were a winemaker and

you picked a particular block and it had a southeast exposure and you really liked that, I could go all through this vineyard, which is almost 1,000 acres, and pick the southeast exposures for you. We have technologies that allow us to map grape maturities during harvest time. The newest and best things coming into the vineyards right now are information technologies. We are getting some really good pre-pruning machines. Vineyard materials are getting better. The technology that is best right now is giving us information so we can apply the technologies we learned in 1970s and 1980s.

WBM: What are you trying to figure out in the vineyard?

AB: We need to improve our quality and our yields at the same time. The price of land, in Napa County has gone through the ceiling. We need to make the land more productive from an economic point of view. That’s either higher prices or more grapes or a combination of one of the two.

We need to preserve that land. We can’t do it unless we can make the land the highest and best use of the land versus urbanization and things like that. The only way to do it is to increase the revenues on the land. Prices are going up because they are tied to these high-priced wines and that relates to quality, but with the closer vine spacing we need to find out: what is that acceptable range of yields that will give us this higher but acceptable range of quality. That’s the tough thing.

WBM: You are active in three major regions. Have you thought about Sonoma, The Central Coast or Washington State?

AB: We’ve thought about all of the above over the years. We’re a regional grower. The economic system that is the North Coast where you have multiple wineries and multiple growers dealing in total quality, is different than it is in any of the other areas. Plus, we grow red grapes best. When you have six buyers and 100 sellers, it’s just a different system than you have here. Plus, if you have an area that is oriented toward the quantity of production rather than the quality or production, it’s a totally different system.

We only deal in the quality areas and where our people can be home at night. We have always been managers and not investors, so that if I go anywhere outside of the North Coast, I become to a certain extent an investor because it’s so difficult to get there.

Also, we want to deal in an area where we can grow red grapes. Red grapes are made much more in the vineyard than a white wine would be. If you’re going to be an independent grower, you want to work with something where the major determinant of quality and price is done…rather than having someone else able to structure it or take anything and change it in the winery. Plus, we’re still relatively small and don’t have resources to do everything.

WBM: Cabernet and Merlot are your key varietals.

AB: Our whole development in Lake County is Cabernet. It’s a new vineyard operation. This will produce a North Coast Cabernet, which is roughly a $20 bottle of wine. If we can do that, we can open up Lake County and make Lake County wine country just like Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino. It’s a pioneering effort up there.

Our major effort in Napa is single-site luxury premium Cabernets. Lake County is the most exciting new thing in that there is a volume of North Coast quality Cabernet becoming available in special spots. We’ve exported everything we’ve learned in Napa to Lake County in terms of technology.

One of the most exciting things is the cool climate Merlot in Napa. What we are doing in Carneros with Merlot is very exciting. That district, and hopefully we will be part of that, can produce the first really great Merlot ever produced in the New World. I think most wine writers would say we really haven’t produced great Merlot. You get one here and there. But a district, as such, to be a Merlot district—it seems like it’s going to be cooler than we thought before. We don’t plant Merlot much in Rutherford anymore. We plant it all in Carneros.

WBM: What about Zinfandel, Syrah and Pinot Noir?

AB: If you look at the Central Coast, they probably do Syrah better than we do. So why plant Syrah if you have Cabernet ground? It’s the same thing with Zinfandel. If you’re planting grapes on a piece of land that cost $150,000 per acre, it’s very hard to plant Syrah or Zinfandel.

If you can grow the best Pinot in the world, you could probably plant Pinot. But it’s not determined yet where that grows, I think it’s very clear that the Cabernet grows in Napa County and I think we’re showing that the Merlot is going to grow in Carneros. But the Pinot might grow several places and I don’t know where that is. We have some Pinot in Carneros, but again if you look at bottle prices, if you tie the price of grapes to the price of wine and the price of wine isn’t very high, you’re not going to get a high price for the grapes. Pinot Noir is a very difficult grape to grow, and it’s another one where the vines seem to need some age. We have some Pinot Noir in Carneros planted in the 1960s that’s excellent, but it’s a long time to wait.

WBM: Have you thought about your own label?

AB: We are very happy and proud to be growers. One of the reasons we’re successful is to have a single focus of growing the best grapes. My vineyard managers are the number one guys in the organization. They don’t play second fiddle to a winemaker, which happens a lot of times in a winery/vineyard operation.

Being in the wine business is not a logical extension of being in the grape business from a management point of view. We are in the business of farming. They [wineries] are in the
business of manufacturing, and in a very big way are in consumer marketing. We’re not in any of those. There are also a lot of good business reasons why we won’t do our own brand. Mainly it’s because we like what we’re doing.

When we buy a piece of land (and let’s just say it’s very good) we can sell those grapes to ten different winemakers and each of them can make 3,000 cases of cult wine. If we had one, we could still only sell 3,000 cases and the rest of it would have to be blended off somewhere. This way, we have a greater opportunity to show what we have and present the consumer with a much better array of wines while maintaining ourselves as growers. And with the vineyard designates, we get all the credit we need.

WBM: Do you think Mendocino is underrated?

AB: I think Mendocino is greatly underrated for its Chardonnay. I remember back in 1980 when the Simi winery started buying our stuff and the Reserve Chardonnay Mendocino County won awards, and then they stopped doing it because they wanted to be a Sonoma winery.

The problem with Mendocino is not enough quality wineries up there wanting to sell the Mendocino product. But the Chardonnay has been just excellent for a long, long period of time.

It’s more difficult to find good red grape ground up in Mendocino County but some of those benches are just wonderful. Yes, its underrated. It’s very greatly underrated.

WBM: Last year we were hearing all about the glassy-winged sharpshooter and this year I haven’t heard that much. Does the glassy-winged sharpshooter scare you?

AB: That’s the scariest comment I’ve heard in a long time. I was in Sacramento the day before yesterday. We’re trying to ensure that we have the funds to continue our work. One of the things we’re really concerned about is people do think that the glassy-winged sharpshooter was yesterday’s problem and it absolutely is not. We’re getting the funding because it is such a serious problem. If people begin to think it was yesterday’s problem, we won’t get that funding and that would be awful.

The thing that we have to do is stop the spread. We have no cure for Pierce’s disease and we’re going to find a cure but that has to be down the road. In Napa County for example, there are lots of government protections because we are an ‘uninfected’ county. The government protects the uninfected counties from shipments from infected counties. If you find six bugs, six live adults in Napa County, we become an infected county and we lose all those protections. I think they’ve just found some egg masses in Sonoma County.

Believe me, from a disease point of view, it’s the most serious problem I’ve seen in 30 years. The problem is as great this year as it was last, and it probably will be as great as it was last year for the next several years.

If this thing hits (the way it eats and the way it dispenses disease and with the fact that we have no cure for Pierce’s disease) it could be an economic disaster in a very short period of time. I don’t think that big business is going to go down. We’ll find something to spray. But, between here and there, we’ll have to use pesticides that neither we, or our neighbors, will want to use. And that will set up a battle with counties and good-minded people that we just don’t want to fight. We don’t want to use the pesticides and they don’t want to use the pesticides. That’s why it is so important that we set up all these detection devises so that they in fact don’t get here. Once they get here, we’ll have to do what we have to do to save our industry. And it won’t be a very pleasant thing. It is not yesterday’s problem.

WBM: Growers have been talking about physiological ripeness versus sugar levels, especially after the last harvest.

AB: We’re looking for mature fruit rather than just ripe fruit. We now have a larger set of tools than we ever had before. We haven’t abandoned any of the processes we had before. We still go in with refractometers and measure the sugar. We still go in and look at the berries and the vine and see if we are giving moisture to the wine or if we are pumping up berries.

We’ve added more art to it, that is in great part, science based. We now know that to get maturity in a grapevine probably one of the measures of that is the seeds turn brown. So we have people not only checking sugar and looking at berries, but we also have people looking at the seeds. We look at the vine and see the shape of the vine. All of our cultural practices generally are oriented to keeping that vine good and healthy rather than working with the fruit itself. The vine works with the fruit once we get the vine in the proper condition. We look at the vine more than we did before but also look at the fruit. We used to talk about microclimates as being the difference between Carneros and Rutherford. Then we talked about micro-climates as the difference between your vineyard which was adjacent to mine, or a block. But now we’re more concerned with the micro-climate of a bunch of grapes than we are about the vine.

We keep getting more and more refined about what we look at and it gets to be blending of the art-most of this art is scientifically based. A guy has been tasting grapes for ten years and now what does he taste? It’s getting to be a science as well as an art.

WBM: How’s the year’s crop looking?

AB: We don’t know. To this date, we seem to have avoided any major frosts but in 1970 the big frost came in the middle of May. You’re beginning to see bunches form.

We now understand that grape maturity, quality and quantity is a two -year system and really I’m talking more about the spring than anything else when the bud development happens. Last year’s spring was a good one. So if we have a good spring this year, we could have a very bountiful harvest. We have one of them in the bag, if you will, and we are looking for the second one. On that basis, you’d have to say it’s bright.

WBM: Can you offer advice for people who want to get into the business of growing grapes?

AB: Well a lot of people think it’s over—that all the land is planted and everything’s been set and developed, that the opportunity that we had in the 1970s has all gone away. I disagree with that 100 percent. I still think there are great opportunities for people to come in and take the new technology with new enthusiasm and create greater quality.

Given the place that Napa Valley is today with their wines, you have to ask. How do we raise it to the next highest level? I think that’s with single-site expression, with grapes coming from a particular vineyard. Lots of the better wines are vineyard blends and they’re called “Reserves.” Tomorrow they will be vineyard designates coming from a specific site. That’s a risky business because you can’t blend off a problem. You can’t solve a problem in the winery; you have to take what you are given. With the high risk comes the high return.

In the old days of the ‘magic’ chef where you would bring the grapes in and the winery would make everything wonderful. We were looking for the Ken and Barbie dolls of the wine world, that perfectly structured beautiful, everything-is-just-perfect, type of wine. I think the future is (and the analogy is the fit beauty with the chipped tooth who’s charm is really in the way she carries her defects) where the wine shows the particular terroir or characteristics of a site and in doing that raises everything to a higher level. New people have the opportunity to take existing sites and bring the new technologies to them, and take newfound sites and take the new technologies to them.

WBM: Wouldn’t you agree that the barriers to entry are higher than they were before?
AB: Sure they are, but when we came in the barriers looked awful high. It’s just a question of

whether you want to play at this level. We thought we were playing at the highest level when we were paying $10,000 an acre for land in 1980. It looked awfully high then but if the price of wine and quality of wine can continue to increase and continue to be where it is, the whole system works. When we had $15 wines, we had $40,000 an acre ground. Now everything is to a much higher level. So yes, the barriers to entry are much higher, but the opportunity is still there.

WBM: How did you feel you were treated in the book Napa (written by James Conaway). Was it accurate?

AB: That is not a good book. It is, in my view, the most poorly researched and unbalanced presentation ever published. There are some circumstances that I recognize and actual events that happened in there but I don’t recognize any of the motivations he has for me and lots of other people.

Yes we did come in the early 1970s and I came in with a corporation, which made me controversial anyway, being an outsider. But if you look at what was going on in the 1970s, there were six wineries and nobody was going anywhere. There had been next to no grapes planted for years. We were still growing grapes that were planted right after prohibition. If you look at how farm workers were treated; they were paid much less than minimum wage and they had absolutely no benefits. If you look at the housing situation, it was just awful compared to what it is today. The vineyards were all old and diseased and had the wrong varieties in the wrong places. In 1970, in the big frost, people burned tar in open buckets. People indiscriminately cut down signature oaks.

We came in and questioned a lot of things. The questions got misunderstood in the Napa book. We spent lots of money on farm worker housing. He never presents that side.

The idea he presents of Robin Lail being some nitwit running around listening to all the men in the valley, that’s just not Robin Lail. On the issue of the winery definition ordinance, on which he spent a lot of time, he totally missed the point that the conflict was about corporate interests. It was the corporate interest versus the land interest. He sets it up as growers versus vintners, but it really wasn’t that. Vintners felt as strongly about their land interests as we did, but because they were unwilling to speak up and back the grower position, they let the growers twist in the wind for three years. We would never have won if they had not come back and in the end supported us. He tries to make it this personal thing. Certainly on the fringe there were some personal feelings. But basically, it was a struggle between (corporate and land) interests.

WBM: He’s working on another book. Did he call you?

AB: Yes and we didn’t respond. I know we were controversial in terms of when we came in the valley with a corporation. I know that we were controversial when we demanded a voice for the independent growers. I know we were controversial when we spoke up for those land interests. But I never felt the disrespect that he talks about in there—the ‘most hated man’ in the valley, stuff like that. There was disrespect for the grower’s position but that personal stuff he talks
about I just don’t recognize. To sell his book, he needed to create some good guys and some bad guys.

WBM: What’s the vision for the future?
AB: I’m having a great time. Some people ask: “Are you going to retire?” I’ve spent 30 years trying to get people to listen, and now they’re listening and I’m not going to shut up. You could ask: “What’s worth a career?” I think a career is worth preserving this land in agriculture. We have to do that by making the land the highest and best use. Everyone has to understand that the ultimate enemy is going to be urbanization—not the environmentalists. We need to work together. Basically, we want to solidify gains in that area. Secondly, we have the real opportunity to consistently produce the best wines in the world. I think those wines are going to be Cabernet- based and they’re going to come from the Napa Valley. I think that sort of cultural statement for our country would be something that a career is worth.

If you think about the United States; we have the biggest economy and the greatest armaments. Think about our cultural contributions, from jazz music to baseball to movies.
Think if we also produced the greatest wine in the world. What statement would that make about our country? We in the Napa Valley have an opportunity to do that. So we want to continue to use the technology to better the quality and then present it to the world. If we make the best wine in the world, it’s probably going to be made with vines that are now in the ground, with people who are on the ground. That’s our challenge for the next ten years. wbm

Beckstoffer Vineyards announces the purchase of the 32.4-acre Danforth Vineyard, located on Ponti Lane in Rutherford, Napa Valley. This new parcel brings the total of Beckstoffer’s Napa Valley vineyard acreage to 1,056 acres.

Beckstoffer is the largest vineyard owner in Rutherford and the largest family (non-public corporation) owner in the Napa Valley. Their holdings include the historic former Beaulieu Vineyard #3, which adjoins the new Danforth parcel, and a large portion of H. Crabbe’s original Tokalon Vineyard in Oakville. Over the years, Beckstoffer has also acquired a portion of Dr. George B. Crane’s famous vineyard in St. Helena, and original Louis Martini and Charles Krug vineyards in the Carneros district. In addition to the family’s Napa holdings, Beckstoffer owns over 1,000 vineyard acres in Mendocino County and more than 1,000 vineyard acres in the Red Hills district of Lake County.

Beckstoffer Vineyards has long been recognized for their premium grape quality and environmental efforts.

“We know this land in the center of Rutherford well,” says Andy Beckstoffer, founder of the family business. “It has produced some of Rutherford’s finest Cabernet Sauvignons. We plan to implement 21st century farming practices to further increase that quality.”
About Beckstoffer Vineyards: Originally established in St. Helena, Napa County, Beckstoffer Vineyards continues to cultivate premium wine grapes along the Northern California coast through the development and application of modern business and viticultural technology. It is the goal of Beckstoffer Vineyards to realize exceptional returns from farming services and grape sales, while building an ‘estate’ in vineyard real estate.

The St. Helena Chamber of Commerce has named Andy and Betty Beckstoffer St. Helena’s 2001 Citizens of the Year. It is the first time in the 30-year history of the award that a husband and wife have been honored together. A dinner in their honor will be held Saturday, Aug. 25, at St. Supéry Winery in Rutherford. Andy and Betty Beckstoffer are the owners of Beckstoffer Vineyards and its subsidiaries. Beckstoffer Vineyards owns approximately 1,000 acres of vineyards in the Napa Valley and additional acreage in Lake and Mendocino counties. Since 1970, Beckstoffer Vineyards has been a leader in developing and implementing new vineyard technologies in the California premium North Coast area. Currently, Beckstoffer is the largest non-winery owner of Napa Valley vineyards and the largest seller of premium wine grapes in Napa and the North Coast area, providing grapes to over 50 premium wineries.

The Beckstoffers were both born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. Childhood sweethearts, they married in 1960 and produced a family of five children. The Beckstoffers arrived in California in 1969 and moved to St. Helena in 1975.

They are extremely active in both the agricultural industry and in local community organizations that benefit children.

In 1975, Andy Beckstoffer was a founding director of the Napa Valley Grape Growers Association and became the organization’s second president (1976-1978). He is also a former member of the Napa County Planning Commission and the Justin-Siena High School board of trustees. Beckstoffer was the founding president of the Rutherford Dust Society and remains on its board of directors. He is currently a director of the Wine Market Council and sits on the board of directors for Vintage Bank.

Betty Beckstoffer is an extremely active and involved member of the Boys & Girls Club of St. Helena’s board of directors. Her efforts on the board have helped raise many thousands of dollars for the club.

“The Beckstoffers have made generous contributions to the club’s operating budget over the last several years,” said Boys & Girls Club President Jim Gamble. “They both worked on orchestrating a significant fundraiser effort on behalf of the club at the World Presidents Organization last year that raised over $80,000 for the Boys & Girls Club!”

“It is a well-known fact that Andy has been a big contributor to the Valley’s agricultural funding for viticulture and the environment,” said Pam Rubio of Wells Fargo Bank, the sponsor of the Chamber’s Citizen of the Year dinner. Rubio, a member of both the Chamber and the Boys & Girls Club board of directors, added, “The Beckstoffers are committed to preserving the quality of life in St. Helena and the surrounding areas.”

Nominations for the Citizen of the Year Award were accepted by the St. Helena Chamber of Commerce throughout the month of June, Chamber CEO Rex Stults explained. “The Chamber’s board had a tough task this year,” he said. “There were nine very qualified nominees for the award, but the Chamber’s board quickly came to a consensus that both Andy and Betty were deserving recipients for all they have done in our community.”

Reservations are required to attend the Citizen of the Year dinner and may be made by calling the St. Helena Chamber of Commerce at 963-4456. Tickets may be purchased for $135 per couple (Chamber-member price) or $150 for non-members. Reservations must be made by Aug. 17.

Ask people in wine bars to name the most powerful person in northern California’s wine country and the majority of them will automatically say, “Robert Mondavi.” Certainly, Mondavi’s high-profile, heady lifetime achievements and critically acclaimed wines anoint him as the region’s most visible personality. But when it comes to sheer behind-the-scenes power in the California North Coast industry, Mondavi loses out to another player. Someone who isn’t a household name, and quite likes it that way; who doesn’t have his own winery and doesn’t for a nanosecond fancy one. He’s W. Andrew “Andy” Beckstoffer, proprietor of Beckstoffer Vineyards, with headquarters in lovely St. Helena, Napa Valley.

Beckstoffer may not own a winery, but he sells more
premium wine grapes in the North Coast district than anyone else—and wants to sell even more. His family- run company today controls, by his estimate, $100 million worth of prime vineyard assets in Napa, Mendocino and Lake counties (with 1,000 acres in each), and is one of the largest grape-growers in California.

When I sat down with Beckstoffer in St. Helena, his unassuming, gentlemanly demeanor betrayed his Virginia upbringing. We discussed his position as northern California’s most respected independent grower of fine wine grapes, how he became so successful and where California’s wine industry is headed.

Sky: How did you turn the $7,500 that you invested in the early 1970s into a multimillion-dollar vineyard empire?
Beckstoffer: After I got an M.B.A. at Dartmouth in 1966, I worked for Heublein, specializing in the business of buying companies. I was involved in the acquisition of United Vintners, which at that time operated Inglenook and Italian Swiss Colony, then later, Beaulieu Vineyards. In 1969, as an officer of United Vintners, I came out there to Napa but quickly found out that Inglenook and Beaulieu didn’t have any fruit [wine grapes] I in the Napa Valley, so I was asked to start a little contract farming company whose job it was to get them fruit.

We did that, but it became clear in time that Heublein [and its investors] did not want to be in the real- estate business, the farming business… so they gave me the job of selling it. After a series of fits and starts, I decided to become an entrepreneur, so I bought the farming company for $7,500. Over the years, every time we got another couple of nickels together we bought some more land. Today we’re cultivating vines in three counties and on over 3,000 acres. We started out just the right time in the early 1970s, when land prices were still reasonable.
So, today, Beckstoffer Vineyards sells all the grapes you grow to more than 40 blue-chip wineries. Yes. We supply over 11,000 tons of grapes even’ year to the region’s winemakers.
At roughly 700 bottles per ton, that’s 7.7 million bottles annually of Beckstoffer-influenced wines. Is this setup of being a grape supplier more suited to you personally than having your own win- ery?

Yes. This is entrepreneurship more than anything else. I like the growing end of it. I don’t like the travel that wine-makers have to endure. I don’t like dealing with distributors. I don’t like the winemaker dinner thing. I like farmers. I prefer to grow something rather than make it.
I’m fascinated that you’ve thrived in the California wine industry, a notoriously ego-driven busi- ness, for three decades and you still don’t yearn to have a physical place where you’re crafting your wine and putting it in bottles with your name on them. Having a monument to your work isn’t important?

That’s right. The thing is, I can’t really say that I have less ego than anyone else, but I get my satisfaction in walking around the land that I own. When I talk to Europeans they really can’t believe that I have only grapes and not a winery. . . .

By not having a winery, we live by a different standard in that we cannot have a bad lot of grapes, be- cause we can’t blend it off…. We can’t lose money in the vineyard and make it up selling wine, so we have to have better quality.

Also, part of my mission has been to give the grape growers a greater voice in the valley. [In 1975, Beckstoffer helped form the Napa Valley Grape Growers Association and served as founding director.]

Some wineries, though, do place a Beckstoffer Vineyard designation on their label, right, like Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Signorello, Acacia, Merryvale and others?

Yes. They do. That’s fine. But my own winery? Not interested.

After all this time of growing premium wine grapes, are you still learning? Do you still tweak the viticultural format?
Absolutely. We’re tweaking the format based on the soil, the climate changes, the varietals [grape types], how we prune, how we train the growth on trellis systems. All that.

Winemaking has gone global. One of our major jobs is interpreting all the information that’s coming from Australia, New Zealand, South America, South Africa, France and Italy, and then deciding if we can adapt the data to our own soil and climate types. . . . We’re getting closer, but it’ll never be perfect, because we’re dealing with individual pieces of ground.

Are Europeans still most “in the know” when it comes to vineyard management? For instance, say, in the fine science of spacing vines to ensure maximum quality?

They probably know. We don’t know fully, that’s right. But there’s another major difference here. They no longer can experiment. They’re locked in by appellation rules or government rules, so they can’t adopt a new technology as easily and quickly as we can. We’re constantly adopting new technologies.
To what end?
I’ve said that sometime in the early 21st century Napa Valley will consistently produce the best wine in the world. It’ll be red … probably a cabernet sauvignon…. The reasons are that we have great climate, we have great soils and we have the ability to utilize the world’s technology. It’s a very American story. We as an industry continue to apply the technology, to harmonize the climate, soils, grape types, water management, vine spacing, trellising, the timing of all vineyard procedures and technology. That’s what has carried us to where we are today. But we’re not completely there yet. We’ve got a whole new level to go.
What about the recent spate of diseases that attack the vines, like phylloxera or the latest and seemingly the meanest, Pierce’s disease? What’s the story there?

We defeated phylloxera in an environmentally sensitive way by grafting disease-resistant shoots onto estab- lished vines. So far, Pierce’s disease is incurable. We don’t want to use a spray. We don’t like that solution. Pierce’s could be devastating. But once we solve this one, there’ll be another one. We have to get used to it.

Do you think that cabernet sauvignon was, is and always will be “The Grape” from California?

No question. Over the years we’ve grown lots of varietals. But over the last 10 years or more it’s been cabernet, cabernet and more cabernet. Cabernet is king within the Napa Valley . . . and probably the entire North Coast, north of San Francisco. There’s lots of people who’d argue that today the best red wine in the world is pinot noir from Burgundy…. I think California’s best shot at having the best wine in the world will involve cabernet, either on its own or in some cabernet-based blend.

Chardonnay? Can you give us some thoughts?

We have a lot of chardonnay in Mendocino County. In fact, we think the best deal in Mendocino is chardonnay. Great flavors. Good sugar.
What about the ever-popular merlot?
Merlot, a nice grape, adds spice to our cabernet. Most people agree, however, that we haven’t yet devel- oped a truly great merlot in California. The future of merlot, in my opinion, is in the cooler climate districts, like Napa Carneros, for example. [Carneros] has the potential of taking Napa merlot to the level of Napa cabernet sauvignon. Merlot is a great name, it’s easy to say. I’m talking about a whole different class of merlot. Not that fresh and fruity thing anymore.

But, frankly, we won’t buy land anymore that doesn’t grow top premium cabernet sauvignon. That’s all we’ve been buying for the last 10 years. Clearly, to me, the way we’re going best is by going with cabernet, and that’s what we grow more of than anything else.

After 30 years of triumph in a difficult industry, is there still fire in the belly?

Oh, yeah. It’s still lots of fun. I’ve wanted to do things my way. I didn’t want to report to someone else. I’ve done that. We’d rather be better than bigger. We used to be nobody and now we’re somebody . . . and that’s enjoyable because you have an impact. People tend to listen now.
We do hear you, Andy. No need to worry about that.

Vineyard designating, a time-honored European tradition, has burst upon the domestic wine scene.

Many such designates have not yet proven their consistency or uniqueness over time. They also lack historical significance. In a given vintage, such untested vineyards may have distinctive characteristics that warrant singular bottling. But will consistency be a problem? Will lack of lineage backfire?
Time will answer these questions. California does, however have some vineyards with pedigrees. For decades, and independent of the producer, wines from certain soils have developed iden- tifiable aromas and flavor profiles
PWV focuses on pedigreed Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards owned by Andy Beckstoffer: Vineyard George III in Rutherford (formerly Beaulieu Vineyard No. 3), Beckstoffer Oakville (formerly BV No. 4 owned by Beaulieu Vineyard and part of the renowned To Kalon Vineyard), Beck- stoffer No. IV in St. Helena (part of his- toric holdings of George Beldon Crane), and Vineyard X (formerly part of Vine Hill) in Oakville.
Producers vineyard-designate these wines rather than upgrade a larger Napa Valley blend with the fruit. They explain how vineyard pedigree out- shines winemaker impact in the pro- duction of Cabernet Sauvignon.
“The longer winemakers work with individual parcels and employ wine- making techniques that showcase a particular terroir, we will see more clearly what the land has to offer,” says Andy Beckstoffer. “If the land makes a difference, it must be sensed in the aroma and flavors of a wine.

“Viticulturists and winemakers can notch up wine quality from the high level already achieved. The notion of singular wines from a place is a mantle still held by the French, but up for cap- ture in the Napa Valley. Because we have the soil, climate, and freedom to use all the technology available, we have a real shot at that target.”

Vineyard George III
Beckstoffer has owned the former Beaulieu Vineyard No. 3, situated off Silverado Trail in Rutherford, CA since 1988. Georges de Latour, founder of Beaulieu Vineyard, purchased the 225- acre Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard in 1923. Beckstoffer has farmed the vine- yard since 1971. Joined with another 25- acre parcel, the combined 250-acre vine- yard borders Caymus Vineyards and is now known as Vineyard George III, after the original owner.
Between 1989 and 1993, Beckstoffer replanted the gravelly loam soils in the Perkins, Pleasanton Series using UCD Clones 4 and 7, Clone 6 (Argentine origin), and 337 (ENTAV) for clonal diversity expressed in blocks. Due to a nematode problem and fan leaf virus, only 039-16 root- stock proved suitable.
Clone 4 was of particular interest because it was disease-free and not heat-treated. “We don’t know what heat treatment does to vines and to varietal character.” Beckstoffer main- tains. “I believe that clones that have not been heat-treated more clearly express the varietal and the site in which they are grown.”
A similar scenario exists for Clone 6, often referred to as the Jackson Clone, one of the oldest Cabernet Sauvignon clones in California. It was rediscovered in the University of California’s Jackson field station in the 1960s. Long-disregarded as too low-yielding, Clone 6 was identified as producing superior and distinctive wines in clonal trials in the Napa Valley in the 1980s.
Clone 7 is the highest yielding clone. Clones 4 and 337 are lower vielding, but this can vary with the soil and chosen trellis system. Lowest yielding is Clone because crop load is often reduced by poor flowering.
Deep, well-drained alluvial fans rum 50 to 60 inches deep. Vines on the GDC trellis in deeper soils are spaced 11×6. Those on the VSP trellis in less vigor- ous soils are spaced 8×6.
Gravel and deep clay streaks run through the vineyard, requiring canopy manipulation and vigor reduc- tion to raise the fruit quality. “Each year, we farm these blocks slightly dif ferently in a process of fine tuning,” says Dave Michul, vice-president of Beckstoffer Vineyards operations.

Notching up George III
In response to winemaker feed- back, Michul began to retrofit portions of the Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard in the 1997 growing season. Fruit quality was being compromised by canopy management within both the GDC and VSP.
Shoot positioning with the GDC was evaluated for canopy manage ment, and opening up the canopy mid-
dle was discontinued. “Textbook farm- ing of GDC has shoots raked over and folded down to expose the fruit. Dor Cabernet Sauvignon grown in George III, the traditional GDC does not work as well because the fruit can receive excessive sunburn,” Michul contends.
“Now, we do not rake the shoots over, we allow them to grow the way they would naturally. Along with that. we devigorate the vines by incorpo- rating cover crops, such as Champion Mix, a low-growing fescue. Now, vines appear to be in better balance, and we’ve experienced better fruit quality.
“What we do may be viewed as a holistic form of farming. We’re not look ing at the canopy only. Cover crops have become an important part of vine balance. We’re not trying to force Cabernet to grow downward, which it does not want to do. While Cabernet does not roll over like Merlot, the canopy does open naturally. With shoot positioning and some leaf removal, we have the desired speckled sunlight on the clusters without direct heat.”
Michul also notes that he’s changed the fertilizing and watering programs. At 1% to 2% veraison, KTS (potassium thiosulfate which is 25% potassium) is applied to assist the vine in producing better anthocyanins in the fruit and higher sugar levels in the leaves. Overall, this leads to better phenolics in harvested fruit.
“Farming a vineyard cannot focus on a single element such as the canopy,” Michui maintains. “It must focus on the whole picture – multiple factors impact fruit quality.”
Annually, pruning weight ratios in the window of 5 to 7 lbs. per vine are achieved. But Michul says it depends on the area of a particular block. The same ratio for Clone 6 has a different meaning for Clone 4, and in one part of a vineyard compared to another.
Winemaker interplay
To raise grape quality even higher, in some of the more vigorous soils (yielding the equivalent of 7 to 9 tons per acre of harvested grapes) some GDC has been retrofitted (at $3,000 per acre) to a lyre trellis. That is being evalu- ated with Charles Thomas at Cardinale for use in the Atalon brand.
“We’ve now made wine from the retrofitted vines for two years,” Thomas comments. “With any good winegrowing trial, three years of information is needed to predict a pattern.
“From vines in more fertile soil, it appears that we are getting a little less herbaceous character with the lyre than the standard GDC. As Dave said, one of the advantages of the GDC, when it’s farmed correctly, is speckled sunlight. With a semi-vertical lyre, there is the downside of exposing the fruit to too much direct sunlight.”
Beckstoffer adds “We no longer manage for Cabernet Sauvignon. We manage a particular piece of land. When the vineyard was planted, we were trying to achieve diversity in wine flavors. Yields are something you just get. The goal is to achieve higher quality and hopefully higher yield with limited downside fac- tors.”
Thomas adds that what the future holds is not just site-specific viticul- ture, but vintage-specific farming. This includes the methods employed either pro-actively or responsively to adapt to the growing season. This thinking is an outgrowth of the 1998 vintage in Napa Valley. Since then, farming of vineyard- specific wines has stopped being a mere set of numbers.
While Atalon has not yet released a commercial bottling labeled Vineyard George III, Clos du Val began labeling as such with the 1997 vintage. “Beckstoffer Vineyards and Clos du Val have had a 25-year relationship,” Clos du Val owner/winemaker Bernard Portet reports. “We bought fruit from George III in both the 1995 and 1996 vintages to assess the poten- tial of a vineyard-designate bottling. We had a good understanding by 1997 and were able to release a wine with distinct vineyard character.”
For some years and concluding with the 1998 vintage, Merryvale released a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot that was designated Beckstoffer Vineyards Selection. Winemaker Steve Test believes it was not the best articu- lation, since grapes were sourced from a number of Beckstoffer Vineyards, not solely George III and included Merlot from vineyards in two distinct viticul- tural areas.
“Conceptually and philosophi cally,” Test maintains. “it was kind of a mush. We are now working on Vine- yard-designating George III Cabernet Sauvignon from a 4.7-acre parcel at the eastern edge of George III, adjacent to Silverado Trail, which is exclusively Clone 6.
“We knew the history of this parcel before we were able to buy the grapes, and it performed well. From the 1999 vintage, it is again showing well, and I fully anticipate that it will be a unique bottling for Merryvale.
“At this time in its development, the 2000 wine is dense and concentrated, with excellent balance and fine tan- nins. The 2000 vintage does not seem to be quite as good for Cabernet Sauvignon as 1999, in general. The 1999 wines are a little viscous, regard- less of vineyards.
“But there will always be issues vin- tage to vintage. If the wine doesn’t per- form in a particular year, then it won’t be bottled as a vineyard designate.”
Beckstoffer Oakville Vineyard
The former Beaulieu Vineyard No. 4, located across Highway 29 from Opus One (Mondavi-Rothschild venture) in Oakville, was purchased by Beck- stoffer in 1993 and called Oakville Vineyard. The 89-acre parcel, replanted by Beckstoffer in 1994, was part of the original 240-acre To Kalon Vineyard, first planted in 1865 by viticultural pio- neer Hamilton Crabb. Loam soils 50 to 60 inches deep in the vineyard are well-drained.
In 1940, Georges de Latour bought the 89-acre piece of To Kalon vineyard, replanted it, and named it BV No. 4. From then until 1993, it was owned by Beaulieu Vineyard and was used in its top Cabernet Sauvignon program.
Beginning in 1994, Beckstoffer’s Oakville Vineyard was totally re- planted with the concept of a Bordeaux varietal blend in mind. The decision was made not to use Malbec, but to plant 80% to Cabernet Sauvignon Clones 6, 4, and 337. The balance is 10% Merlot (Clones #1 and #3), 5% Petit Verdot, and 5% Cabernet Franc to offer winemakers a spice rack to select from and create complexity as well as personality in their wines.
Vines oriented north-south were spaced 8×7 on VSP in the replanting. Later, and extending to 1997, 6×7 spac- ing was used to complete the project. This spacing has become the Beck- stoffer standard. The same nematode problem as experienced in George III plagues this vineyard and restricts rootstock choice to 039-16.
Because it gives both the viticultur- ist and winemaker the best of both
worlds, Michul prefers north-south row orientation. However, he notes that it is necessary to handle VSP dif- ferently. No hedging is done on the western side of the canopy, and leaves or laterals are not pulled.
In 1997, Charles Thomas picked the east and west side of the vine at differ- ent times. “Our adaptations created a more uniform crop so that this type of situation would not have to be repeated,” Michul observes.
Thomas explains that “the east side of the vine lagged behind the west side in anthocyanin development. West side berries had begun to shrivel. With the new canopy management, both sides are more uniform.”
In some areas of the vineyard, devigorating cover crops are used, but in other areas, cover crops are used only to protect against winter erosion.
Blocks planted in 1994 and 1995 are well established. With the 1996 and 1997 plantings, Michul is still gauging the vineyard to judge natural tendencies and what he will do to grow the best quality fruit. “With the loss of AXR-1, we must use 039-16 rootstock as we did in George III because of fan leaf virus. It has taken us time to understand its idiosyn- crasies,” Michul contends. “For one thing, 039-16 does not like to be water stressed.
“At Beckstoffer, we believe that basic viticulture has been forgotten in the chase for what’s new. As we plot strategies to improve fruit quality, we attempt to take each block back to basic viticulture first, before we consider changing pruning methods, irrigation, or other farming techniques.
“We’re conscious that this is a newer planting and still evolving. We know, for instance, the bud count window at prun- ing this year, but that may change next year, depending on our observations during the growing season. With one vine, it may be 20 buds and another vine 18 or 16. We judge by vine appearance.
“Each vineyard and vineyard block: is different, and we employ a number of techniques to have each block express its uniqueness within a given vineyard.. We believe we know what the vine can do in its particular location.”
Due principally to outypa, the cor- don for VSP at Beckstoffer Oakville and all vineyards in the company is being developed as bilateral. Because unilateral cordons promote poor spur positions, Beckstoffer is in favor of bilateral cordons. Bilateral will also fill the canopy better and offer improved vine balance.
Thomas suggests that when a unilat- eral cordon is too long, the Brix difference on bunches farther from compared to those closer to- the trunk are unacceptably different. Addition- ally, there is also diversity within a uni- lateral as far as bud break and bloom.
“The 6×7 spacing has moved the rows closer together and the vines far- ther apart in the row,” Beckstoffer adds. The problem is not so much the unilateral cordon, which may very well work in another vineyard, but that it’s not suited to our seven-foot vine spacing. There are no panaceas here. We’re not saying this is the correct way,
and that way is incorrect. It depends on soil composition and climate
“The major consideration in any vine- yard should be uniformity. We, as Dave said, do not want to pick east and west sides of the vine at different times. We want all bunches around the Brix level average desired by the winemakers.”

Beckstoffer Vineyard No. IV
Owned by Beckstoffer since 1983 but planted in 1975, the 21.8-acre Beckstoffer Vineyard No. IV, located west of Highway 29 and southwest of St. Helena at the end of Sulphur Springs Avenue, is planted to Cabernet Sauvignon and two acres of Merlot.
On an alluvial bench, the parcel is sloped slightly to the east, 25 feet above Sulfur Creek at the mouth of Sulfur Canyon, and laying up against the western hills. Soils are well-drained sandy loam with a significant amount of small stones and gravel to a 50- to 60-inch depth. It has low vigor poten-
tial, with low nitrogen and high cal- cium and potassium content
Situated off the west valley floor the vineyard receives morning sun before the center and eastern edges of the val- ley. In late afternoon, when the sun goes behind the western hills, Beckstoffer IV is in the shadow, while the rest of the valley is still receiving sunshine. Therefore, it warms up and cools off earlier than its central and eastern valley counterparts.
Temperature influences are similar to the rest of the Rutherford/St. Helena area, where during the ripening season in late summer, days can warm up into the 90° to 95°F range, then cool down into the 50s and 60s at night, for a 40 swing.
Planted to Clone 7 on St. George and some AXR-1 rootstock, the vine- yard, spaced 8×8, is spur-pruned on a bilateral cordon, using a standard sin- gle-wire “T” trellis. The original vine- yard was trained lower to the ground, so post-purchase Beckstoffer raised the cordons and the fruiting zone to allow more airflow through the canopy to improve control of powdery mildew. The vineyard ripens relatively early in the season for Cabernet Sauvignon, and although it shows spotty signs of phylloxera, it has not been replanted.
Guenoc has been making Cabernet Sauvignon as a vineyard-designated reserve wine from this property since 1987. Winemaker Malcolm Seibly has worked with the vineyard’s fruit since 1996. Out of all the vineyards from which Guenoc purchases grapes in the North Coast, he considers Beckstoffer IV to be the most naturally in balance.
Michul explains that the canopy needs little manipulation due to good spur positioning and proper shoot growth. Pruning for the number of spurs and buds per vine is done by visual examination in the field. Crop levels are light, averaging 25 to 3.5 tons per acre, with small clusters and small berries. Second crop, if any is removed in the summer
Due to a lack of water availability, establishing irrigation in this vineyard required a significant commitment. In 2000, a new well was dug to gain ver- satility in dnp irrigation sets so hang time could be prolonged.
“Now, the drip system provides just enough to replace rainfall in a dry year to prevent undue stress from heat,” Seibly reports. “The combination of all the factors mentioned produces a con- dition where the vines switch from the ‘vegetative growth phase of the sum- mer into the fruit-ripening stage of the fall at an earlier point compared to other vineyards, which may be carry- ing a bigger crop load or are irrigated more frequently.”
Prior to the new well, a manual fer- tilizing program under the drippers helped to keep the 30-year-old vines healthy. Now vines are fertilized through the drip system. In 2000, vines were also artificially mulched with straw to aid retention of soil moisture.
Seibly also notes that “Beckstoffer IV consistently produces Cabernet Sauvignon of great distinction and character. The wines are typically very dark in color with unmistakable open and generous aromatics and flavors of black fruits and spices that are a con- stant from year to year, regardless of the vintage.
“While it is arguable that virtually any red variety would produce out- standing wine if grown on the Beckstoffer IV vineyard site, it is an ideal match for Cabernet Sauvignon, yielding wines of remarkable class and breed from one vintage to the next.”

Beckstoffer Vineyard X
In 1996, Beckstoffer bought this 45- acre vineyard in Oakville (part of the Vine Hill Ranch) from the Kelham fam- ily. However, the purchase did not give him the right to the Vine Hill pedigree name, so for the time being, it is called Vineyard X.
Beginning with vintage 1999, Merry vale will vineyard-designate Cabernet Sauvignon made from a block of old vines still remaining, while the site is undergoing a replanting program using similar schematics already discussed.
“This is a great site, and long-term, I have confidence that fruit from replanted vines will be as good or better than the results we are now getting from the old block.” says Test. “I predict this, because for many years, Merryvale
has purchased exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon from the Vine Hill Ranch.”

Evolution to a style
Beckstoffer contends that he does not “sell Cabernet Sauvignon” from one of his pedigreed vineyards. Wineries purchase specific rows in designated blocks. “The contract probably started out that we agreed on specific tonnage from the vineyard,” he explains. “But once the wine was made, winemakers asked to see the vineyard section that was purchased. Over time, we’ve evolved together to create a contract that specifies blocks and rows.”
Annually, Beckstoffer requests that wineries purchasing grapes submit wines for a block tasting of approxi- mately 100 different wines. Wine- makers rate the wines and are able to fine-tune future purchases based on the tasting
Thomas explains his experience with Beckstoffer’s Oakville Vineyard. Some of the oldest replanted blocks (A2 which is Clone 4 and B2, Clone 337) have similar soil profiles, but pro- duce two distinctly different wines. Clone 4 is consistently more tannic than Clone 337.
“As a winemaker, I exercise differ- ent techniques, such as extended skin contact or not, with the two blocks,” notes Thomas. “Because I do not believe that the number of pumpovers really matters, this regime stays the same regardless of clone or block. I also tend not to adjust a peak fermentation temperature. Últimately, it is the terroir factor that is showcased in the wine. Winemaker response is only fine tun- ing.”
Seibly explains that to have the option of lengthening fermentation and maceration for an average of 25 days, he always allocates winery space to handle Beckstoffer No. IV fruit.
To create more building blocks for the final blend, Seibly requests earlier harvest of some blocks, with the emainder of the vineyard typically harvested about three days later.
Winemaking techniques are essen tially the same for both lots, but depending on assessment of the fruit, Seibly may choose to cold soak or select a different yeast for one and not the other. Once dryness is achieved, the fermentors are tasted daily to deter- mine the optimal time to drain and press. Wine is transferred to one-third new and two-thirds second-fill French oak barrels after pressing.
Paul Hobbs Winery’s associate wine- maker Andy Smith reports on the win- ery’s handling of four blocks and two clones from Beckstoffer’s Oakville Vineyard. Clone 4 and 337 are handled similarly in the winery
“Near the end of fermentation, the distinct differences between the clones are most noticeable,” Smith says. “Depending on individual characteris- tics, we may modify our extraction processes-draining and pressing.
“Tannin extraction and desired mouthfeel are obtained during the active and latter phases of uninocu- lated fermentation. To obtain maxi- mum aeration, a combination of
punch-downs and pump-overs are used. Pressing is done after about three weeks of skin contact that includes three to four days of cold soak. Wine is transferred to barrel immediately.”

Winemaking decisions
“All Cabernet Sauvignon at Merryvale is treated similarly” Test acknowledges. “As time progresses, the wines are, how- ever, evaluated for barrel selection.”
Is he then letting the fruit speak? “You’ll never hear me say that.” Test responds. “Decisions impacting wire character begin at harvest and end at bottling. Each one is important and can change the personality of a wine.
“Obviously, there is something essential to the character of the wine that comes from the vineyard. But how the wine is made has a large impact, also. If the same fruit is vini- fied completely differently, the wine will probably be completely different.
Through which wine will the fruit be speaking?
“If you’re asking, ‘Is it important to allow a vineyard character to be per- ceived?’ then I’d have to say that I do everything possible to preserve this in every phase of winemaking, but what I do depends on the vintage.
“It’s a real swamp when we try to examine the true character of a vine- yard. The true character of a vineyard is in the quality and characteristics of the fruit delivered to a winery. The winery is then a big lens through which the fruit can be viewed in multi- ple ways.
“What I value in characteristics that come from the vineyard are black fruits, proper tannin balance, and lack of veg- gie or herbaceous characters. These show up in the wine and are different from each vineyard source, whether that’s George III or Vineyard X.”
Portet contends that his goal is to make the four or five tanks of Cabernet Sauvignon from George III the best it can be. “Even though two tanks can originate from the same block with identical clones, every winemaker knows that they develop differently. Because we’ve purchased the same blocks for a number of years, we now know which ones do not react as posi- tively to extended maceration, and we monitor this with daily tasting.
“We blend the different George III tanks each year to try and maintain a con- sistent style. The wine then spends between 18 to 22 months in mostly new French oak barrels. Apart from harvest, the key decision is when to press, because it significantly impacts the fruit, structure, and overall character of the wine.”
Delivering
Winemakers interviewed acknowl- edge Steve Test’s conclusion: “It’s sig- nificant that a vineyard-designated wine comes from a special place, but it must deliver. The wine must be per- ceived by a consumer as a special, excellent, delicious, and great wine. That’s the final and most important cri- teria for wine from a pedigreed vine- yard.”

State officials, growers and scientists are desperately scrambling to contain the creature while they devise a cure, but experts concede that the industry might be chasing a runaway train. The insect has already infested 11 counties, including Sacramento, just 70 miles east of Napa Valley. In late July, a single glassy-winged sharpshooter was trapped in the small town of Middletown in Lake County-less than a dozen miles from vineyards in Napa and Sonoma counties. The response was immediate. County agricultural inspectors
descended on Middletown, scrutinizing literally every leaf in the nursery where the insect was found. They then sprayed the nursery with pesticide and quadrupled the number of bug traps throughout the area. Inspectors went door-to-door, canvassing all the surrounding properties for additional evidence of the glassy-winged sharpshooter.
“We’re feeling like we’re sitting on a time bomb,” says Robert Dowell, chief entomologist for the California Depart- ment of Food and Agriculture, which is coordinating the statewide response to the.
threat. “And it’s just sort of ticking away, and the prob- lem is that nobody knows where the bomb is, and no- body knows how fast it’s ticking, and nobody knows how much time is left.”
While Pierce’s dis- ease has plagued
California grape- growers for 120 years, it has remained largely under con- trol, with two exceptions: a severe outbreak in the late 19th century in Southern California, and another in the Central Valley in the 1940s. Historically, Pierce’s disease has been transmitted in the prime vineyard regions of Northern California by the blue-green sharpshooter, a less prolific species that does most of its damage within 100 yards of streams and other watercourses.
Yet the glassy-winged sharpshooter, a native of the
southeastern United States that arrived in California sometime in the late 1980s, threatens to change all that. Because it is big- ger and more mobile and can survive by feeding on a wide range of plants, it could potentially cause billions of dollars in dam- age and wipe whole grapegrowing districts off the map.
Lacking a cure for Pierce’s disease, local, state and federal officials, along with leading trade organizations such as the
Wine Institute, have focused their efforts on detecting and eradi- cating the glassy-winged sharpshooter-a daunting task in a state as big as California. In June, Vice President Gore an- nounced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture was declaring the situation an emergency and would provide an additional $22.3 million in funding, beyond the $25.3 million already ear- marked by government and industry sources. Those efforts may represent just a beginning, however, if the glassy-winged sharp- shooter proves to be as tough an adversary as some researchers fear it might.
After studying the insect for 17 years, Russ Mizell of the University of Florida believes that it may currently be unstop- pable. “There’s not a whole lot of data suggesting that [the glassy-winged sharpshooter] will do anything but spread throughout the entire state of California,” he says. “It’s just a question of when is it going to happen, how long it takes- and can you slow it down?”
The enormity of the threat posed by the glassy-winged. sharpshooter has stunned grapegrowers, as has the speed at which the threat has arisen. Richard Nagaoka, a leading vineyard consultant who works with about three dozen
ents throughout the North Coast, says he first recognized the gravity of the situation in January.
“I went to a presentation about the dis- and when I left I was literally
ease, nauseous,” he says. “I wondered if I have to start training for an- other career at 56. People won’t pay me to help them farm barren fields.”
Andy Beckstoffer is one of the most influen- tial and knowledgeable grapegrowers in the North Coast region. He owns 3,000 acres of vineyards, including more than 1,000 acres in Napa Valley. He considers Pierce’s disease a huge threat that demands every effort and resource the industry can muster. One of the greatest dangers he foresees is the political opposi- tion that could erupt in local communities if pesticides are ap- plied on a large scale to control the glassy-winged sharpshooter.
“This is not just another little disease. This is big-time,” Beckstoffer says. “To think that anyone will let a national treasure go down is unbelievable. We won’t let it happen. No one’s going to want to be responsible for this. It just won’t happen.”
California is no stranger to fatal vine-maladies. In the last 15 years, the phylloxera root louse has cost the wine industry more than $1 billion. But unlike Pierce’s disease, there’s a lasting (though expensive) solution to phylloxera: replanting with vines that have been grafted onto resistant rootstock.
However, replanting is not a feasible option once a vineyard is infested by the glassy-winged sharpshooter and infected with Pierce’s disease. Young vines are especially susceptible, dying before producing a crop.
Xylella fastidiosa, the bacterium that causes Pierce’s disease, kills grapevines by thriving in the xylem, the pipelike vascular system that transports water within the vine. In about three years, the bacteria reach such concentrated levels that they clog the xylem and kill the vine. The disease is named for Newton Pierce, a USDA plant pathologist who studied the scourge during its first major California outbreak, in the 1880s. That episode wiped out a thriving grapegrowing district in Anaheim, destroying 40,000 acres of vineyards. Strains of the bacteria also wreak havoc on other crops, such as pit fruits, citrus and almonds, to name just a few.
Napa Valley already has serious Pierce’s disease problems caused by the blue-green sharpshooter. About 17 percent of its vineyard acreage has been affected, resulting in $40 million in damage-related costs over the last five years. If the more pow erful glassy-winged sharpshooter becomes established in the area, the disease could run rampant.
“There’s so much of the bacteria in riparian areas of Napa that the introduction of the glassy-winged sharpshooter would be devastating,” says Bruce Kirkpatrick, a plant pathol- ogist at the University of California at Davis, the state’s lead- ing vinicultural research institution. “It could potentially wipe out the entire industry.”
Napa growers need only look south to see what the future may hold. In Riverside County, about halfway between San Diego and Los Angeles, lies what has been Southern California’s biggest and most successful winemaking district, Temecula.
Vineyards and citrus groves have long made this sunny area a popular tourist-destination. Callaway, the area’s largest win- ery, receives more than 120,000 visitors a year, and the Temecula wine industry generates more than $100 million for the local economy, according to local officials.
Temecula’s future as a winegrowing region now hangs in the balance. So far, the glassy-winged sharpshooter has led to the death of about 500 of the region’s 2,500 acres of vines
in just three years. By the end of this year’s harvest, it looks as if at least another 500 acres will have succumbed to Pierce’s disease.
“If we can’t abate this, there won’t be anything left in three or four years,” says University of California at Riverside ento- mologist Nick Toscano, who has organized pesticide treat- ments to kill the insect. “It’s a numbers game, and it’s like putting a Band-Aid on an amputee. This is just a short-term, stopgap measure with the materials we have, but we don’t know if we’re doing any good.”
Although pesticides seem to have reduced this year’s popula- tion of glassy-winged sharpshooters, it’s too early to know if the spread of the disease has slowed.
In the meantime, Temecula is the first place in California where Pierce’s disease is killing vines at an exponential, rather than a linear, rate. In other words, what previously was a painful condition now might be a terminal one. “I’ve studied plant diseases spread by insects throughout my career, and if I were to describe a worst-case scenario, it would be close to what we’re seeing,” says entomologist Matthew Blua of UC Riverside.
In 1997, experts verified that Temecula’s vines were infected with Pierce’s disease and that the vineyards were infested with the glassy-winged sharpshooter. The next year, there were hot spots scattered around the area, and by last year, the disease was rampant, with some sites more than 90 percent infected.

The current tally of the costs of dead vines and lost revenue is about $12 million. Efforts to slow the spread of the glassy-winged sharpshooter with pesticides could prove worthwhile, but some fear that the insect might be too well-entrenched for even chemicals to have any significant effect.
Callaway doesn’t see much reason for hope. So far, 120 of its 720 acres in Temecula have been destroyed, and the winery has no plans to replant that acreage. Instead, company offi- cials have decided to rely on grapes from Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Monterey counties to make the majority of Callaway’s wines. dog pilings het nih voda
“At this point, anybody who’s replanting obviously doesn’t have all the facts,” says George Rose, director of communica- tions for Callaway. “I hate to use the word ‘pointless,’ but at this stage there’s no reason to replant until they find a cure.”
Temecula grapegrowers and vintners worry that they have yet to see the worst, because symptoms of Pierce’s disease don’t ap- pear until a year after infection. Many of the region’s apparently healthy vines could already be dying.
Earlier this year, state officials had hoped to confine the in-
sect to eight counties in Southern California. Over the spring and summer, that proved to be wishful thinking, as infestations were confirmed on hundreds of residential and com- mercial properties in Fresno, Sacramento and Tulare counties in the vast Central Valley, which is home to hundreds of thousands of acres of grapevines used for the production of wine, table grapes and raisins.
It’s not yet certain how far the glassy-winged sharpshooter has spread, as rigorous statewide detection efforts began only this year. State agricultural officials acknowledge that they’re still playing catch-up. Some winemakers hope to hamper the spread of the disease by clearing their land of plants that host the glassy-winged sharpshooter. These efforts might prove practically impossible, however, because the insect can feed on 80 percent to 90 percent of all California vegetation. The bug is especially fond of the ornamental plants that are grown throughout South- ern California, shipped north and then purchased by landscapers and homeowners.
Under the supervision of county inspectors, nurseries are re- sponsible for ensuring that outgoing shipments are insect-free. But it’s a herculean task. In the first six months of this year, more than 15,000 shipments traveled from infested southern counties to destinations in the north. A single shipment can include thousands of plants, with tens of thousands of stems and leaves-any of which could potentially harbor glassy-winged sharpshooter adults, nymphs or eggs.
Despite their diligence, inspectors and nurseries can’t catch everything, and contaminated plants have slipped through. Since spring, Napa County agricultural inspectors have discovered 10 shipments contaminated with old egg casings and three that contained viable eggs. Sonoma has identified four infected shipments, of which two had viable eggs. ho
Bob Wynn, interim statewide coordinator for the glassy- winged sharpshooter/Pierce’s disease control program, recognizes that no quarantine or inspection program can be 100 percent ef- fective. “With the present tools available, this pest will never be eradicated from the state,” he says. “What we’re hoping is that in- cipient infestations will be eradicated.”
The wine industry in Napa Valley contributes about $4 bil- lion to the U.S. economy every year, according to the Napa Valley Vintners Association, so it’s no surprise that some peo- ple believe the government should pursue any means neces- sary-such as an outright quarantine on the transport of plants and grapes from infested counties-to preserve the industry. “It’s like shipping dynamite from Croatia to Serbia and expect- ing nothing to happen,” says Michael Havens, owner of Havens Winery in Carneros.
State agricultural officials are reluctant to enact quarantines partly because they could effectively shut down the $5 billion nursery industry. Moreover, quarantines could turn out to be counterproductive. Enacting a ban would be far easier than enforcing it, as uninspected nursery stock could easily be smug- gled into uninfected counties.
One advisory group in Napa shelved plans to call for a quaran- tine in July due to similar fears. The group decided that “it would be such a threat to local landscapers that it could force them to take drastic action, such as surreptitiously receiving uninspected materials,” says Napa County agricultural official Ed Weber.
California winemakers now know what’s at stake. They know that time might be running out, but they realize there’s relatively little they can do. “Of course we’re frightened to death, but it’s not as if you can stand on the porch with a shotgun,” says Don Weaver, director of Harlan Estate in Napa Valley.
Along with detection and inspection efforts, chemical treat- ments currently offer the best hope of controlling the insect. After the discovery of new infestations in the Central Valley, more than 1,000 properties were sprayed with pesticide. In September, a state advisory panel will make further recommen- dations after assessing the results of these spraying programs.
Widespread use of pesticides could mean the end of sustainable organic farming in infested regions. Already, some residents in Sonoma County are up in arms over the possibility of wholesale spraying. In July, many of the 300 or so who attended a public
meeting in the western Sonoma town of Occidental vowed resis- tance to plans by county officials to spray if the glassy-winged sharpshooter arrives.
Pesticides aside, the scientists whose research might determine the fate of the California wine industry don’t foresee any near- term solutions to either problem-the insect or the disease. “We don’t know what to do,” says Florida researcher Mizell. “We don’t know enough about the biology, the epidemiology, the etiology- whatever -ology you want to talk about, we don’t know enough.”
Researchers emphasize that neutralizing the disease itself, rather than just this specific pest, is the ultimate goal. Every year, exotic insects enter California. If Pierce’s disease remains viable, it’s possible that other creatures’ could begin to trans- mit the bacteria.
Dozens of researchers are at work, backed by public and indus- try funding. Brazilian scientists have completed a genome map of a different strain of Xylella fastidiosa. But geneticists emphasize that simply having a map is a far cry from understanding the map and being able to exploit that knowledge.
There’s also some potential for biocontrol techniques. State officials hope that predatory wasps that attack the eggs of the glassy-winged sharpshooter can be used to hinder current and fu- ture proliferation.
The ultimate answer, though, may be genetically engineered vines. It might be a matter of 10 years’ work to create resis- tance-and that’s just the beginning. “No one’s done this before,” says Andrew Walker, the UC Davis viticulturist who’s leading one project. “But whether we can make resistant material that’s exactly the same quality as [unresistant] Cabernet Sauvignon is the big question, and I don’t think it’s been answered yet.”
Even if it’s possible, the work could take decades, Walker says. And this project won’t help vines that are already in the ground.
Ironically enough, the biggest cause for hope is that infested nursery stock may have been shipped all over the state for years, perhaps nearly a decade; but the glassy-winged sharpshooter is not yet established in the north coastal appellations. Perhaps conditions there are not ideal for the insect, and eradication and inspection efforts will suffice. be dron Boqquls simil
“Is it inevitable? I don’t know,” says Lewis Platt, CEO of Kendall-Jackson winery in Sonoma County. “But let’s assume that it is. I think if all of us work to minimize the threat and hold it off as long as possible, we’ll have better and better ways to deal with it if and when it does take hold.”
Experts emphasize that much remains to be learned about the insect and the disease. And even if worst-case scenarios are cor- rect and the glassy-winged sharpshooter spreads across the state, newly established insect populations could take years to reach devastating levels.
“I’m more encouraged than I’ve been for a long time,” says Sandy Purcell, a UC Berkeley entomologist who’s studied Pierce’s disease for 30 years. “I think there’s a significant chance that [the insect] won’t spread to the North Coast in damaging numbers.” Despite his newfound optimism, Purcell puts that chance at no better than one in three.
With odds like that, it’s no wonder that fear is growing among grapegrowers and vintners throughout the state. “I was having a conversation with some growers,” says Napa consultant Nagaoka, “and the question came up if, given the cost, we’d plant a vineyard now in Napa County. We all had to suck in our breath and think about that.”
Yet new vineyards continue to spread across Napa, where prime parcels of unplanted land can fetch up to $150,000 an acre. It’s worth wondering, though, what would happen to real estate prices, credit lines or valuations of public companies the day an infestation surfaces near a nursery in the city of Napa or in a vineyard along the Rutherford Bench.
Some of California’s biggest wineries are already feeling the economic repercussions of Pierce’s disease. Public companies such as Beringer and Robert Mondavi Corp. in Napa Valley have faced increased scrutiny from the financial community, ac- cording to Mondavi president Michael Mondavi. In early August, the investment house of Salomon Smith Barney lowered its short-term price targets for both Mondavi and Beringer be-
cause of the threat, though it did not lower its long-term outlook for positive earnings and growth at both companies.
Mondavi says the concerns of the investors have been fanned by what he calls the sensationalistic tone of some of the press coverage of Pierce’s disease and the glassy-winged sharpshooter. “The investment community is concerned about what they read, and they’re saying, ‘There’s a potential risk here, and we’re not going to suggest investing in this industry until this risk goes away,” Mondavi says. “And that then has a direct impact in a negative way on the stock prices.”
Mondavi considers Pierce’s disease to be a serious threat if left unchecked, but he’s confident that a concerted effort by the wine industry, government and academia will be able to control it. “The thing I’d like to see happen is for one of these professors to announce that they had found a vaccine that could be fed to the vines that would protect them from the bacterium,” he says. “That will probably happen in a period of time.”
West of St. Helena, in the heart of Napa Valley, the road up Spring Mountain twists and turns toward the property of winemaker Philip Togni. It’s easy to miss the steel gate, nestled in the lush vegetation that surrounds his 10-acre vineyard. But the blue-green sharpshooter, the less formidable pest indigenous to Napa, hasn’t had trouble finding these vines. Togni, who planted the site in 1981, has already seen enough of Pierce’s disease after it killed 3 acres of his Sauvignon Blanc during the mid-1990s and half an acre of Cabernet Sauvignon per year from 1995 to 1997.
In 1994 he sprayed pesticides and removed surrounding vegeta- tion that might attract the insect. He also tried to outrun the pest by shifting his plantings. “We planted in one area thinking that we escaped from the insect, and we went right into its jaws,” says Togni. “We got five boxes [of grapes] out of 35 vines-about 3 pounds per vine. And then they were all dead. Bingo. Just like that.”
No one is sure why, but few of Togni’s vines have died in the last few years. Still, he’s seen a snapshot of what might be California’s future.
Togni is a lot like many of Napa’s better producers. He has no problem selling every bottle he makes. And he doesn’t make much-usually less than 2,000 cases per year. An incurable disease transmitted by an unstoppable insect would make quick work of a 10-acre vineyard.
He knows that the clock is ticking. “It doesn’t matter how much money we throw at this thing, there aren’t going to be any instant results,” he says. “It takes time. There hasn’t been enough research for all these 120 years. And now we’re going to pay the price.” What price?
“We’re going to lose a lot of vineyards.”

“Quality is the only safeguard. Not just of the grape but the image of the wine,” Andy Beckstoffer advised diners at the annual Lake County Winegrape Growers meeting Thursday.

Beckstoffer, among the 25 largest grape growers in California, is developing the ‘Amber Knolls’ property between Kelseyville and Lower Lake. He has plans to expand his contiguous holdings beyond the present 400-acre planting
south of Highway 29 several-fold.
“Quality is the only game in town,” Beckstoffer told his fellow growers and others in the 200-member audience. “The demand for top quality is ever increasing,” he said.
The speaker is identified as the largest seller of premium wine grapes in the North Coast area and the largest non-
winery owner of Napa Valley vineyards. More than 40 wineries compete for his fruit. The family holdings include 1,000 acres in the Napa Valley and 1,000 acres in Mendocino County.
Growing grapes is more than produc- ing a crop he pointed out: “We are in a marketing business. If you grow you have to promote your appellation.
“Napa has successfully creat- ed an image for their grapes, the property value, and their per- ceived quality and it spreads quality over the area,” he said.
“Sustainability is necessary for success. To be economically feasible it has to be environ- mentally sensitive and socially responsible. To be viable you have to participate in the economy.
“The Lake County (grape) commission does a great job. The supervisors here give more support than others and I appreciate the hospitality. They recognize and reward our con- tribution to the county.
“We’re here to stay,” Beckstoffer concluded. The value of the quality of grapes was illustrated with the distribution of the California Department of Food and Agriculture final grape crush report for 1999 at the gathering. For Sauvignon Blanc, the
wine grape for which Lake County is most famous, the price for ton of grapes ranged from $800 to $1,360 for vine- yards producing 2.2 tons to 606.9 tons.
The highest return reached on a crop of 52.4 tons.
Cabernet Sauvignon, the dominant red varietal, prices ranged from $1,200 to $2,300 a ton and production from 3 tons to 281 tons.
The highest value received covered 13.3 tons.

Does anybody really think about the dirt in a vineyard or how rainy the growing season was as they sip a glass of Chardonnay or Merlot?

We should, argues Andy Beckstoffer. “In the end,” he says, “perhaps we should care as much about when there’s a change in vineyard managers as we do when there’s a change in winemakers.

Of course, as one of Napa Valley’s best-known grape growers, Beckstoffer has a stake in backing the idea that the grapes and where they come from are as important as a winery or winemaker.
Vineyard-designation is hardly a new concept in wine. Look no further than grand cru vineyards of Burgundy – La Tâche, Romanée-Conti – although California has been late in coming to the notion. Seldom has there been a more passionate champion for vineyard-designation than Beckstoffer.
He sees it as the next logical step to the appellation system and the best away to assure consumers that the wine they drink will consistently be as good from one year to the next.
The Beckstoffer name appears on bottles of wine from several Napa Valley, Mendocino and Lake county wineries, including Acacia Winery. Clos Du Val. Merryvale Vineyards, Signorello. Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars and Guenoc.
“Growers can’t hide anymore,” he says. “If we’re going to take an appellation to the next logical step, we as growers have to take responsibility for providing quality in the vineyard.”
Winemakers generally agree with Beckstoffer, although some say there can be a downside for them by making vineyard-designated wines.
“What happens if you start putting the name of the vineyard on the bottle and the grower decides to replant with another variety?” asks Nils Venge, owner/winemaker at Napa Valley’s Saddleback Cellars in Oakville. “That could be a marketing nightmare.”
Venge currently owns two vineyards and the name of one is on a bottle of his sangiovese. He buys fruit from several small growers and says he would consider putting a vineyard name on one, but only if he had a long-term contract.
Louis M. Martini Winery winemaker Michael Martini agrees that growers must take responsibility for quality, but adds that quality comes from the vineyard and the winemaker working together.
“It’s like the old saying, you can’t make a good wine with bad grapes, but you can make a bad wine with good grapes,” he says. “So if the winemaker can’t do anything with good grapes, you can’t guarantee the quality.”
Martini says he believes that appellation and vineyard designation are going to be critical marketing tools in the future, because they are the only means of protecting the quality strides made in making wine.
The Martini winery, which owns the Monte Rosso vineyard in Sonoma Valley, sells some of its old-vine zinfandel to several other producers.
“We have six or seven producers who buy grapes from us because they like the flavors the vines bring to the wine,” Martini says. “The Monte Rosso designation is on those labels, too.”
There are many other examples where vineyard names appear on wine labels. For instance, the Williams Selyem Winery Rochioli Vineyard Pinot Noir is one of the highest-priced California pinot noirs at $125 a bottle. To some wine drinkers, the fruit grown by Rochioli Vineyards, located in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County, is the epitome of quality California pinot noir, even though there are a number of other pinot noir growers in the same area.
Beckstoffer calls it vineyard pedigree. He owns vineyards in such well-known regions as Los Carneros (known for its chardonnays and pinot noirs), and Rutherford and Oakville (known for their cabernet sauvignons).
Taking a cue from Europe
He says that the wine industry should look to Europe as a role model to provide consistency in quality wines – where chateau or estate vineyards take the responsibility.
When consumers drink a Chateau Latour, for example, they expect it to consistently be a good wine, Beckstoffer says, and that is what he feels growers should offer consumers of California wines.
“Through single-site expressions, we provide consumers with assurance of quality,” he says.
That plays into the French reverence for terroir. But Beckstoffer says terrior, from the grower’s point of view, is a bit more encompassing than

Change sometimes occurs in the California wine industry in subtle ways. One of the most talked-about shifts is from the emphasis on a specific grape to define a wine to a wine that reflects a certain piece of land. These single-vineyard wines, as they are called, usually are seen in super-premium and ultra- premium wines, especially red, in the $50-and-up price range.

One of the proponents of this single-vineyard concept is Andy Beckstoffer, a Napa Valley grape grower who has, since 1973, acquired choice vineyards in the Napa Valley, Napa-Carneros, Mendocino and Lake counties. Among Beckstoffer’s holdings is the 221-acre Georges III Vineyard, formerly Beaulieu Vineyard No. 3, the source of some of Beaulieu’s best Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon. He sells his grapes only to wineries that agree to bottle the wine as a single vineyard, or what Beckstoffer calls a “single-site expression,” such as Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Beckstoffer Vineyard Chardonnay.

Beckstoffer traces the origins of single-site expression to years ago when the emphasis was on estate bottlings that often were blends. Then, in 1983, the Napa Valley got its own AVA (American Appellation Area), and other sub-appellations, like Rutherford, soon followed.

“These moves were involved more with politics than grape growing then, but now the emphasis is more on the land defining the appellation. ” Beckstoffer says that a piece of land is not political and if the consumer can understand the concept of terroir, he can understand the idea of single-site expressions and how they relate to appellation. Terroir is a French term that means the total grape-growing environment, soil, climate and more.

Last month, Beckstoffer invited a few people to an educational tasting at Fort Mason to illustrate his point that the defining element of certain high-end wines is land, not grape. The tasting began with seven vintages of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Beckstoffer Vineyard Chardonnay. The 1996,1993 and 1992 were my favorites. They were an elegant group of chardonnays with nicely focused fruit flavors and a flinty-mineral quality that emerged more in the older vintages. Next came four vintages of Acacia Beckstoffer Vineyard Pinot Noir, with the characteristic Carneros black cherry and spice flavors. The 1997 and 1995 vintages stood out for me.

Capping the extensive tasting were nine vintages of Guenoc Beckstoffer Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, two vintages of Merryvale Beckstoffer Cabernet Sauvignon and one Clos du Val Georges III Cabernet Sauvignon.

Guenoc’s 1996, 1995, 1995-1989 Cabernets showed concentrated, luscious fruit, fine tannins and great length. Clos du Val 1997 Georges III Cabernet Sauvignon was elegant, minty with yummy chocolate-cherry flavors, while the Merryvale 1997 Beckstoffer Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon was more concentrated with bigger tannins.

The influence of site and soil is sometimes difficult to separate from winemaking and vintage variations. For me, the influence of land was more evident in the red wines than the whites. But the key for the wine consumer is to look for a flavor thread that evokes a style you like.

French Paradox Revisited

A few years ago, French scientists told the world that, based on their studies, moderate wine consumption reduces the risk of coronary heart disease. The report became known as the French Paradox because the French consume more fat, yet have less heart disease.

Now, new studies from the University of Bordeaux, as reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine, reinforce the earlier studies about the benefits of moderate wine consumption, adding that the new study also shows a significant risk reduction for overall mortality.

Winemakers and wine writers like to dazzle their respective audiences with flowery language and foreign phrases, most often used in describing the myriad and marvelous, or in some cases miserable, characteristics of a particular wine.

Grape growers tend to be earthier types — with their hands in the soil and their eye on the taste and ripeness of the
grapes. Andy Beckstoffer, however, can trade superlatives with the best of them. And his latest favorite is terroir, an elusive concept that he is touting as the next frontier for winemaking and grape growing.

“Terroir is the combination of all the physical qualities of a vineyard — soil, climate — as adapted by the grower, where the total is greater than the parts,” said Beckstoffer, who is the largest family-owned vineyard owner in Napa Valley. “It is in this mysterious terroir, where things are bigger than they seem.”

But before a skeptic can ask, he asks the question himself: “But who cares? You think the guy in San Francisco is thinking about dirt when he orders a bottle of wine? I don’t think so. He’s thinking about quality … and how he can get it over and
over again … and he’s looking for us to give him that.”

Beckstoffer believes, and he wants other growers and winemakers to believe, that the “next level” of Napa Valley wines is
what he calls “single-site also known as vineyard-designated wines.

Vineyard-designated wines are not brand new, in fact Guenoc in Lake County has been making a cabernet sauvignon from a Beckstoffer-owned vineyard in St. Helena since 1987. And vineyard-designations are common among the great wines of France.

But if Napa is to continue to lead the way in winemaking, “we have to go beyond appellations of origin … see if we can take the wines to the next level.

The idea is single-site identification … to look at the terroir, and look at wines and see if we can begin to talk about the cause and effect.”

To illustrate his point, Beckstoffer recently hosted a tasting of vineyard-designated wines, produced from his vineyards by five different wineries. A small group of wine writers and journalists tasted seven chardonnays, four pinot noirs, and 12 cabernet sauvignons, all produced with grapes grown in specific vineyards in Carneros, St. Helena and Rutherford.

Many of the wines illustrated his point; others revealed the variables that enter the picture, such as a change in winemakers.

“The virtues of the terroir system,” said Bob Thompson, a St. Helena wine writer who was at the tasting, “is when the vineyard has something to say … when you get over the variables of the winemaker talking … and you can really hear the vineyard talking.”

While writers at the tasting gave passing marks to many of the vineyard-designated wines, noting the similarities among vintages, some, syndicated columnist Dan Berger in particular, were skeptical about how well consumers would grasp the concept.

Still, Beckstoffer believes that “single-site expression will take wine quality to the next level.”

And, of course, the growers’ prominence in the process has increased, he said. “Growers are now getting more interested in quality than ever before. If you’ve got bad grapes you can’t blend them off. Growers can’t hide anymore.”

And they won’t be able to, if Beckstoffer’s 1dea becomes widely accepted.

“When you get to the highest levels … we don’t stamp ‘Rutherford Bench’ on the label. You’ve got to perennially identify the vineyard, and the growers”

There is also the political power of continuing to produce world-class wines on highly-reputable vineyards.

“We can beat the urbanists,” said Beckstoffer. “Because we can do it (produce great wines) every year. In the end, what we’re really trying to do is save the Napa Valley.”

Adherents to the theory of single- vineyard superiority argue that all through history, the world’s greatest wines have come from a single plot of dirt: grand cru Burgundies, clas- sified-growth Bordeaux, the finest Rieslings. Others say that a vintner
is lucky to have a range of vineyards from which to make wines, and some of the most exciting wines made today-Super Tuscans made of Sangiovese and Bordeaux varieties, Rhône blends of Syrah, Mourvè dre and Grenache, complex claret-style wines that blend Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc- usually have to be blends because seldom are multiple varietals grown cheek by jowl in a single vineyard.
It’s a debate that may never be settled, but that hasn’t stopped Andy Beckstoffer from trying. Beckstoffer is a Napa Valley-based grapegrower whose 2,600 acres of vineyard boldings in Napa, Lake, and Mendocino counties make him the largest private grower in the North Coast. In fact, only two wineries, Gallo and Kendall-Jackson, own more acres in the area than Beckstoffer.
More than just a grower, Beckstoffer has been one of the leading forces behind the movement to vineyard-designated wines. In fact, he forces wineries who want to buy his grapes to sign contracts requiring them, under certain circumstances, to craft only single-vineyard wines, with a “Beckstoffer Vineyard” citation, or something similar, on the label. Prohibiting winemakers from blending his grapes under a more general name sometimes makes vintners chafe, but so prized are his grapes that they go along with these restrictions.
Beckstoffer argues that he can get around the traditional criticism of single-vineyard wines–that they tend to be one-dimensional-by using multiple clones, rootstocks, and trellising systems in his vine- yards. This concept was put to the test at a tasting Beckstoffer orga- nized in San Francisco in September that showcased a range of wines made from grapes grown in his vineyards.
All the wines were excellent, and in those flights that featured mul- tiple vintages of the same wine it was possible to discern consistent aromas and flavors that must have come from the terroir. But to be fair, they did not jump out of the glass and scream, “I’m the product of my soil, not my winemaker” either. Here are my notes on the 20 wines from five wineries and eleven vintages tasted.

There have been dramatic changes in the typical California vineyard as we head towards the turn of the century. The 21st century California vineyard has been under development for the past decade and has been shaped to a large extent by a tiny bug – specifically the nasty grape root louse called phylloxera.

Beginning in the 1980s and reaching a peak in the early- and mid-1990s, the little beast was happily gnawing away at vine roots in vineyards throughout California, forcing vineyard owners to uproot vines planted only a few years before during the memorable wine boom years of the late 1970s and early 1980s. By the year 2000, well over half of the vineyards on California’s North Coast will have been replanted.

It isn’t the first time phylloxera, which kills the vine in the course of a few years by destroying the root system, has devastated vineyards. In the 19th century, the malady spread from American vineyards across the Atlantic and did huge damage in the vineyards of Europe. More than a century later, the versatile little bug learned to enjoy roots previously believed immune and the cycle of replanting began again through- out the state of California.

“It turned out to be a marvellous opportunity,’ says Andy Beckstoffer recently. Beckstoffer has been farming wine grapes in California since the early 1970s and owns almost 3,000 acres of vineyards on California’s North Coast. He regularly supplies grapes to about 40 different wineries annually and is the largest seller of grapes on the whole of the North Coast.

‘The usual life cycle of a California vineyard is maybe 40 years,’ Beckstoffer explains. ‘If you start real young and get lucky, you might be able to replant a given vineyard twice in one lifetime. But because of phylloxera, we were pulling up vines that had been planted only ten or 15 years before. And we’ve learned a lot in the past decade about what varieties grow best and where to plant them, about what rootstocks to use, what clones to use, what trellising systems to use. Now, I admit, it cost a lot of money but it means that California’s vineyards in the next century will be a generation ahead on the curve.’

New market view

Beckstoffer’s views were echoed by growers in other parts of California. Some areas, like Monterey County and Santa Barbara County on the Central Coast, were not as hard hit by phylloxera, but with thousands of acres of new plantings, viticulturists were able to use the up-to-the minute technical

developments inspired by the fight against phylloxera to improve grape quality.
The vineyard of the next century will also be shaped by market forces – well what isn’t these days? It’s

Beckstoffer’s view that in the next century, California wine will be sold on the basis of the appellation and the vineyard rather than by grape variety.

‘Now, the most important question is, “Do you have Cabernet?” In future the question will be, “Where is your vineyard. ” And that, of course, will have an effect on varieties planted since we will be free to grow the right variety in the right place without concern about satisfying demands for the latest “hot” variety,’
he said.

Beyond the question of phylloxera, there has been a key shift in vineyard technology over the past decade, which is reflected in many of the new plantings. The old technology – wide spacing, one rootstock, one trellis system, clonal selection rarely considered – was very much production-driven. The view in the 1960s and 1970s, largely inspired by research at the University of California, Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology, was that the vineyard was a production unit and should be standardised on the basis of costs and quantity. One piece of soil was exactly like the next and the best rootstock was the one that gave the highest yield with the least amount of trouble.

That ‘universal’ rootstock was AXR1 and it turned out to be susceptible to phylloxera and the ‘hey, guys, back to the drawing board’ scenario. The new vineyard technology is very much driven by quality.

‘There are a number of things we are doing in the vineyards that are aimed at quality.’ Beckstoffer explains. ‘We are matching rootstocks to clones, then matching both to soil types. We are using vertical trellis systems that open the vine up to more sunshine, to better air movement. All of these are labour intensive and costly, but we can’t hope to compete in the global wine market without having good quality wines.’

Will it pay off in the end? Beckstoffer believes it will. ‘I have this dream for Napa that sometime fairly early in the next century, Napa will be recognised as consistently producing the best wine in the world and it will be red and it will be based on the Cabernet family.’

About 100 miles east and south of Napa is the Lodi-Woodbridge appellation. It’s at the north end of California’s vast Central Valley, a sea of table, wine and raisin grapes best known in the past as the source of California’s cheap and friendly jug wines.

The new vineyard technology is bringing about major changes in Lodi, according to Mark Chandler, head of the Lodi-Woodbrige Vintners Association.

‘Our growers are constantly experimenting with clonal selection and rootstock, looking for the combination that produces soft, rounder and more approachable fruit, which is what Lodi is known for,’ Chandler said. He added that, like many parts of California, new vineyards were being planted to closer spacing (see boxed information on page 28).

The Lodi appellation is the largest supplier of premium varietal Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot and the second largest supplier of Zinfandel in California. Chandler expects those varieties to continue to dominate, with the addition of Syrah and Viognier.

In Monterey County, part of the huge Central Coast appellation which sprawls all the way from San Francisco almost to Los Angeles, vineyard acreage has soared from 30,000 acres five years ago to an estimated 40,000 acres by the turn of the century.

Howard Tugel, the vineyard manager for Estancia’s Monterey estates, has been growing grapes in Monterey since 1967.

‘When I first came, everything was traditional spacing,’ says Tugel. ‘Now as we replant we’re going to six, eight or ten foot rows.’ Tugel is also working on row directions. Some rows run east to west, some north to south.

He was a pioneer in Monterey on the effect of windbreaks, working with several different trees and

completely boxing in the vineyard. ‘I think I can definitely improve grape cluster size and number with windbreaks in combination with vigorous rootstocks, Tugel said.

Premium domination

It would be easy, after 30 years dedication to the cause to ease up a bit, hut Tugel stays out at the edge, running a constant series of experiments on rootstocks, vine spacing, clonal selection, windbreaks and other such projects. He has a 50 acre vineyard entirely devoted to various experiments.

For example, Block 20 in the Pinnacles Vineyard was planted in 1996 to 10.4 acres of Pinot Noir on clones 115 and 777 and on three different rootstocks, 101 14, 44-53 and 420A. The spacing dimensions are six by four feet with 1,720 vines per acre on a unilateral vertical trellis.

Block 20 is a very good example of the complexity of trying to match clone and rootstock to different soil types in California, where soil types are often a volcanic jumble compared to the more stable soils of the European vineyards. One vineyard might have more than a dozen soil types, changing literally from row to row and unfortunately there are no easy ensembles of mix-‘n’-match clone, rootstock and soil.

Pinot Noir is beginning to loom larger in Monterey, especially in the cool northern reaches of the
Salinas Valley where Pacific fogs will often tend to linger until noon. Dan Karlsen, the winemaker at Chalone, was trained as a marine biologist so he is no stranger to fog. However, Chalone’s vineyards at an elevation of about 2,000 feet above sea level are well above the fog level.

With more new vineyards being planted at Chalone, the clonal question came up. ‘I don’t think it’s really about clones,’ says Karlsen. ‘Clones are fine tuning, but you aren’t going to make great Pinot Noir just because you have the right clone.

‘It comes back to the site and the microclimate. Each site will give what it can. The problem here, as it is all over California, is excess sugar, over-ripe grapes. I don’t have the answer to that, but I may try leaving on more leaves to raise the malic acid level.’

So the hunt for perfection goes on as the 21st century vineyards begin to take shape. What seems to matter is that the questions being asked are to do with improved wine quality. At this point in time though, there are clearly more questions than answers and it will no doubt remain so for a long time to come. In the meantime, the best place to look for the positive results is in the glass you are holding in your hand. •

Andy Beckstoffer, a long-time Napa grape grower and owner of Beckstoffer Vineyards, remembers when planting a vineyard was a much simpler project. “In the early ’70s, however it was done before is what we did,” said Beckstoffer. “That was the standard.”

Growers used the supposedly phylloxera-resistant AXR #1 rootstock and planted Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay on a single wire trellis that allowed vines to grow in all directions.

Beckstoffer now calls this system “California Sprawl.” The manicured and manipulated vineyards of today represent a shift in the perspective of wine producers. The correlation between grape and wine quality was not a big issue of controversy or conversation in the 1970s. The winemaker’s knowledge of chemistry was held responsible for the magic of turning grapes into wine, and growers were not as highly regarded in the winemaking process as they are today.

Grower’s Role Seen as More Crucial

The winemaker/grower relationship has come full circle. The phrase, “Wine is made in the vineyard,” has almost become a cliché in premium regions where the grower’s role is regarded as paramount in the endeavor to make world-class wine. Almost all growers in California’s North Coast regions are experimenting with vineyard techniques to ultimately improve wine quality. Increasing production is a secondary goal, but this shift in perspective has also helped producers obtain higher yields.

These days, vintner and viticulturist walk the vineyard; together looking for the grapes that will produce sought-after wines. Most winemakers readily acknowledge that great wine comes from great grapes. “The fruit is 65 to 70 percent responsible for wine quality,” said Michael Silacci, associate winemaker at Stags Leap Wine Cellars. “After coming out of denial over the phylloxera outbreak (of the late 1970s and 1980s) we refocused. Now we’re thinking about things like different rootstocks, row direction and soils. There’s a whole palette of combinations.”

But 20 years ago, when planting a vineyard cost an average of $4,000 an acre compared to figures upward of $25,000 today, a few winemakers realized how much of a wine’s character came from the fruit itself. Pioneering winemakers including Andre Tchelistcheff and Robert Mondavi began paying much more attention to detail in the vineyard during the early 1970s.

A Balanced Vine

While at Beaulieu Vineyards in Rutherford, Calif., 10 years ago, Silacci worked with Tchelistcheff, the Napa Valley winemaking legend who always chose the fruit for his wines very carefully. Silacci said he and Tchelistcheff would ride through BV’s vineyards tasting fruit and evaluating each block.

Today, Silacci can often be found out in the vineyards tasting fruit with the vineyard managers during harvest time. He walks the famous Stags Leap vineyards carefully designating—sometimes within a single vineyard block—which areas are ready for harvest.

Today, wineries pay incredible attention to detail. More tools than ever are available to achieve the kind of quality that great winemakers demand, and those tools are often found in the vineyard. For example, one particular area of a certain vineyard at Stags Leap has a circular section in the center of a 15-acre block that usually ripens more quickly than the outside portion of the block. That outside portion is normally harvested a week after harvest of the center. That’s how precise grape growing has become.

Growers are also experimenting with a number of new vineyard strategies that produce what Beckstoffer calls a “balanced vine, ” which “expresses itself in flavor. We didn’t understand 20 years ago that a vine out of balance doesn’t produce the ultimate fruit,” he said.

Beckstoffer said the key components of vine balance are soil vigor and heat. Growers evaluate, among other things, an area’s soil and microclimate. With that information, they decide on a trellis system, rootstock, clone, grape variety, row spacing, and the overall density of vines per acre.

Vineyard Density Affects Characteristics

Trellis systems are among the most valuable tools growers use to achieve balance. In vigorous soils, where growers try to “devigorate” vines, growers train vines to grow on two horizontal planes, called a double curtain trellis system. “This lets the soil and the climate produce what it wants, because you’re spreading it rather than cutting it all off,” said Beckstoffer. “You try to pack into these very tight planes.” In light soils, the proper trellis system supplements what’s lacking in the soil by exposing vines to more sunlight.

Dick Grace, whose Grace Family Vineyards wines are some of the most sought-after and expensive in the world, believes that struggle is the essence of what makes a better grape. “Grapes are like people. If they struggle and come out the other side OK, you get a finer character,” Grace said.

Developing quality of character has much to do with spacing, which represents some of the most dramatic changes in vineyard strategy. The typical spacing between rows 20 years ago was 12 feet, with 8 feet between vines, which made it easy to get tractors into the vineyard.

When farmers replant vineyards these days, it’s not rare to see a vineyard with rows as close as five feet apart, and vines separated by only three feet within the rows.

Grace’s vineyard manager, Jim Barber, convinced Grace to plant his vineyard with 3,460 vines on a one-acre parcel that supported just over 1,000 vines in 1976. Today the rows are five feet apart, and only three feet separate vines within rows.

In Oregon, where new Pinot Noir vineyards are popping up all over the Willamette Valley, that same dense planting approach is popular. “Up here, we traditionally planted vineyards at about 750 vines per acre, now it’s 2,100 to 2,800,” said Danielle Andrus, of Archery Summit Winery in Dundee, Ore.

“We feel we get a better concentration in fruit with denser vineyards,” she added.
Not only is Archery Summit experimenting with vineyard density, they’ve used 20 different rootstocks

in their recent plantings, and have recently begun experimenting with new clones.

Cover Crops Help Achieve Balance

Richard Kunde, president of Sonoma Grapevines said, “It’s amazing all the different clones people are asking for. Ten years ago people asked for Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon on AXR#1,” said Kunde. “Today, people want clone X, Y or Z and mix in a little clone A. Different winemakers choose different clones based on their palates.” Some clones have very distinct characteristics: “The Chardonnay clone #15 is one that winemakers either love it or they hate it.”

Today, Sonoma Grapevines offers 13 clones of Cabernet Sauvignon; 10 years ago, they offered just one. They have 18 clones of Chardonnay and 10 Merlot clones. Grape growers and winemakers also have a choice of 20 different rootstocks, Kunde said.

Alternate cover crops are other tools useful to growers these days. Vegetation like clovers, beans and legumes grown between rows or even under vines are used to help vintners achieve balance in a number of ways.

Certain crops help devigorate vines by competing with them for nutrients in rich soils. Other cover crops are chosen for their capacity to add nutrients to the soils as they break down. Cover crops also help cool the ground in extremely hot areas, which helps grapes retain acids. Some cover crops which literally suck moisture out of soil also help viticulturists control moisture.

Grape Prices Rise

Irrigation is the next horizon in vineyard manipulation, according to Beckstoffer. “When it’s hot we try to make it cool. When it’s cool we try to make it hot. When it’s wet we try to make it dry, and when it’s dry we try to make it wet,” said Beckstoffer. “Otherwise we’re just subject to nature.”

“All these techniques paid off in 1997 and 1998,” he said. “We had a very large crop in 1997, and we had superior quality. In 1998, because of the difficult challenges of the season, we were able to sacrifice a good bit of quantity to get quality that was very good,” he added.

Grape growing innovations have not come cheap. In the past twenty years the average price of developing an acre has soared by some 600 percent. With that kind of investment, North Coast grapes have moved far beyond being an agricultural commodity.

The amount of time and money put into premium vineyards has caused a sharp increase in grape prices. In the past, growers were paid according to tonnage and sugar levels. Today, premium growers look for wine producers who know how to make a quality product and know how to market it in order to get the highest prices for their fruit.

“This whole idea is 20 years coming,” Beckstoffer said. He added that he’s beginning to taste the results of the innovation. “The best wines of the world are going to have the fruit component that the French wines never had.”
WBM

It was at the time the biggest development of its kind ever proposed for St. Helena. If it were to surface today, it would still be the biggest.

It was White Springs Lodge, a $27 million hotel and commercial development to be located on 33 acres between Charter Oak and Grayson avenues and from Main Street back to Crane Avenue.

Proposed in the mid 1980s as a project of the Park Loire partnership, headed by local developer Rodney Friedrich and consisting of local and farther flung investors, it went before the city for approval in 1985. It included 190 hotel rooms, 32 “carriage houses,” an outdoor performing arts theater, a health club and spa, a restaurant and cafe, and a business park.
But this April, more than two thirds of the original 33 acre project was purchased by Beckstoffer Vineyards.
Andy Beckstoffer, the company’s president and owner, calls the purchase “the start of something big” when it comes to the future of development in St. Helena and the Napa Valley.

A Controversial Project

The White Springs Lodge project caused a storm of controversy among local residents when it was proposed, and it was soundly rejected by city officials, who termed it “obviously inappropriate” for St. Helena.

But although much of the land remains empty to this day, the project has persisted in various forms.

Its name was changed to Vineland Station, and Friedrich regularly appears before the Planning Commission in connection with the property.

The stylish Southside Café restaurant did open briefly in a Main Street building leased from Vineland Station — replacing the old Cheri’s restaurant. And when it perished, ensnared in financial difficulties, the even more stylish Pinot Blanc opened and today does a brisk business there.

And the commercial, service commercial and high density residential zoning of the area would allow a variety of retail and residential projects to go forward.

But for the immediate and probably longer term future, none of that will happen.

Beckstoffer says his company — which owns 1,000 acres of Napa Valley vineyard — will plant the entire 24.34 acres with cabernet sauvignon, hopefully beginning next spring, he says.

“This should be one of the truly good cabernet properties in the valley,” he says.

He declined to give an exact purchase price for the land, but it represents a substantial investment. Non-planted, premium vineyard land currently commands between $40,000 and $50,000 an acre — which would mean that Beckstoffer paid between $960,000 and $1.2 million for the property, and that’s before the estimated $25,000 an acre it takes to plant premium grape acreage.
The company has begun digging a well for the property, too, at a cost of between $50,000 and $100,000.
The property is part of a 300-acre parcel purchased by Dr. George Belden Crane in 1859 from Edward Bale. It was planted with wine grapes in 1861, and began producing wine in 1865.

Beckstoffer moved to St. Helena from Virginia in 1975, after starting Beckstoffer Vineyards in 1969 while working here for Heublein. He says the new vineyard — to be named “Dr. Crane’s Vineyard” — reflects his company’s strategy.
“We’ve been trying to buy vineyard land that is famous, if you will, in the valley, so that we know the soil is there,” he says. “Our deal then is to bring in the modern technology.”
Of the new vineyard, which he plans to establish in a family trust, he says, “This is great vineyard land for the Napa Valley, and it will forever remain that way.”

More Than Good Grapes

It is the last part of that phrase in particular — “and it will forever remain that way” — that has Beckstoffer so excited.

He describes the purchase as a potential watershed event, and says that it means much more than just the prospect of great cabernet sauvignon.

It is, he says, a sign that the grape growing and wine industries have reached a point where they offer as much return on investment as does large scale housing or retail development.

The policy of Napa County’s general plan is that non-agricultural development be confined inside the county’s five cities.

What the county’s policy has meant is that as Napa Valley becomes ever more desirable a location — last month The Wall Street Journal, in an article headlined “Nouveau Vintners Toast Napa’s Real Estate Boom,” described the valley as “the nation’s most prestigious wine-growing region” — proposals for upscale retail and housing developments within the cities have mushroomed.

Likewise, the wine industry is enjoying its own boom years. In its annual survey of the industry, released in April, St. Helena-based consultants Motto, Kryla & Fisher reported that the premium wine industry had record profits last year, and grape prices, too, are at new highs per ton.
. As Beckstoffer sees it, that signals a crucial development.

“For the first time, we’re able to say that agriculture is the highest, best use of some our land that is under heavy urban pressure,” he says.

The price wine grapes are commanding these days — as well as the fact that more often now grape prices are being tied to the price of the wine the grapes are used to make — is one of several key components in Beckstoffer’s suggestion that the tide is shifting in favor of agricultural development.

“The thing that’s important here is that we have now converted the high price of wines to the high price of grapes,” he says. “We now have to bring that equation down to the land.”

Wine industry analyst George Schofield agrees that for the foreseeable future, Beckstoffer can make the land pay for itself.

“I think we’re out to the year 2005 or so before we have to worry about any surplus of grapes,” he says.

Schofield notes that the current 35,000 acres of Napa Valley vineyard is the same as it was in 1993, and that the amount of grapes produced last year has dropped by almost a third from the 1992 production of 140,000 tons.

“I think he’s (Beckstoffer) right in the short and mid term, and if anyone can see beyond that, my hat’s off to them,” he says.

Where are the Limits?

Beckstoffer says that the purchase of the Vineland Station property “is the start of something big. For the people who want to keep the land here agricultural and open space, we’re winning the war.”

But not all would agree. “Property within the city limits should be utilized for the city’s benefit,” says local insurance broker Rich De Vita. “We have only so much land, if we keep on using land within the city limits, we’re going to eventually have to move outside the city into agricultural land.”

De Vita owns 55 acres of land in Pope Valley, 10 of which are planted to wine grapes. He says he is not sure whether Beckstoffer’s bet that grape prices will remain high is that wise.

“The people are fickle,” he says. ‘There is a good market for premium wines now, but I wouldn’t want to say that cabernet is going to stay at $2,000 or $2,300 a ton.”

De Vita echoes a common perception that the city’s zoning ordinances can be extremely restrictive, and says that reducing the amount of land available inside the city for non-agricultural development will cause more problems than it will solve.

“It’s been so hard to get anything done within the city because of the zoning, and I hate to see any more land taken away, even for agriculture,” he says.

Others share De Vita’s opinion, but among city officials, at least, the sentiment is with Beckstoffer. “I think it’s great,” says Councilman Ken Slavens, who since the March 1997 city elections has repeatedly called for slowing the city’s growth rate.
“Agriculture is one of the prime characteristics of our community, and I think it’s real important that

we maintain that as a feature of St. Helena,” Slavens says.
St. Helena’s general plan also encourages agricultural uses within city limits (see sidebar). What the People Want

Even Beckstoffer acknowledges, though, that his vision of a future where agricultural development is as attractive financially as other forms of commercial development, depends on what the public wants.

A renewed emphasis on developing agricultural properties within city limits, he says, will only happen “when the people want to support it.”

For his part, Slavens says he believes St. Helenans want more agricultural land. It’s in their best interests, too, he says. Mentioning what is fairly considerable resentment among residents regarding the two subdivisions now being built on Hunt Avenue, he says, “I think the pressure for development in St. Helena is going to be there, probably even more so than it is today.”

Beckstoffer is betting that public sentiment will create continued support for the kind of conversion to agricultural use he is pushing for — and that even if doesn’t, his company’s most recent purchase was the right one.”

“I think we made a very sound business decision,” he says. “We think we can do better economically growing grapes here than the people who want to build Safeways etcetera.”

Last summer, when Kendall-Jackson’s Jess Jackson announced he would be making a new Napa Valley wine with Andy Beckstoffer, many people wondered who Beckstoffer was. Insiders knew that, with nearly 1,200 acres of prime Napa Valley vineyards, Beckstoffer owns and farms more land in the area than any other individual grower. In fact, only Robert Mondavi Winery and Beaulieu Vineyard top Beckstoffer in the Napa Valley acreage game. With Napa vineyards valued at $40,000 or more per acre, Beckstoffer’s holdings could be worth $50 million. On top of that, the youthful-looking 56-year- old grape grower also owns another 1,000 acres in Mendocino County—worth half as much, perhaps. Not bad for an “outsider” from Richmond, Va., who understood little about growing grapes when he arrived in Northern California nearly 30 years ago.

Some might argue that Beckstoffer’s vineyard empire fell into his lap when Heublein sold him his first major chunk of land in a leveraged buyout. But holding on to the empire has not been easy. After his first decade in the wine business, Beckstoffer found himself poised on the edge of bankruptcy and lost most of his Napa acreage. Ten more years of hard work and smart business brought him back to solvency, but by then phylloxera—the deadly vine louse—had created a Napa Valley vineyard epidemic. Beckstoffer has met this challenge head-on, replanting and managing his vineyards with innovative technology. Since 1988, he has also amassed an impressive collection of historically significant vineyard land.

Beckstoffer’s most prized property is called Beaulieu No. 4. The 89-acre Oakville parcel was first planted in the 1860s, part of the famous To-Kalon vineyard. In good years, its best grapes were traditionally blended into Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve. Heublein (Beaulieu Vineyard’s owner) sold the land to Beckstoffer in 1993, and Jess Jackson plans to make a currently untitled ultrapremium wine from grapes that are grown on this landmark site.

Oddly enough, Napa’s mega-grower does not make wine under his own name. He tried to, with an ill-conceived, mediocre wine called Fremont Creek that was discontinued some years ago. “Winemaking is just not my focus,” Beckstoffer says.

But for years consumers have been drinking other noteworthy wines made from Beckstoffer grapes, which he sells to 35 top-notch California wineries including Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Spottswoode, Dunn and Duckhorn. Those wineries that purchase Beckstoffer’s highest-quality grapes are required by contract to include the Beckstoffer name on their wine labels. “You can’t make it [as a grower] unless you really have the good grapes, and they’re recognized as such,”

Beckstoffer says.
Guenoc Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Vineyard Reserve 1991 scored 94 points on Wine Spectators 100-point scale. Says Guenoc owner Orville Magoon, “Andy’s really figured out what to do in Napa. We can’t do that in Guenoc Valley.” He also quips, “Andy does not
have the cheapest grapes in California.” Magoon has known Beckstoffer for 10 years but took nearly half that time to reach an agreement with him on grape prices. “We talked about it, but we thought he was too expensive at first.”

“We often start off that way,” says Beckstoffer, flashing a dangerous smile. His disarmingly soft Southern drawl and gentle manner belie a reputation for tough, sure-footed negotiating skills, first honed long ago in heated relations with the late Cesar Chavez’s United Farm Workers. Some vintners who buy grapes from Beckstoffer admit to dreading upcoming contract discussions, while others can be less than complimentary. “He’s clever, but that doesn’t mean he’s so smart,” said one, who did not wish to be identified. Yet virtually no one denies Beckstoffer’s pivotal role in Napa Valley’s wine community today.

Current consumer demand for premium wine is high, and grape supplies are short, making the market a good one for growers like Beckstoffer. It hasn’t always been so, however, and vineyard owners were once at the mercy of seemingly fickle winemakers. Beckstoffer was among the first grape growers, nearly 20 years ago, to charge wineries a price based on something other than mere tonnage. “We figure in projected bottle price when talking about grape price,” he explains.

Beckstoffer’s goal is to sell each ton for about 100 times the projected retail value of a wine. If a winemaker plans to charge $25 a bottle, the grape price would be $2,500 per ton. Yet high- quality Cabernet grapes still don’t bring in much more than $2,000 per ton these days, even when they are used for wines that sell for $30 or $40 per bottle. Growers such as Beckstoffer—and there are many like him who don’t make wine—are forcing wineries to adopt a more suitable method of profit sharing. “Not all of our grapes are perfect,” Beckstoffer admits. A portion goes into wines that retail for $10 or less.

More important than his price structuring is Beckstoffer’s commitment to the latest in new growing techniques. He is assisted by his vice president of viticulture and vineyard operations, John Crossland, 47, who is also president of the Napa Valley Grape Growers Association.

Last September, Crossland gazed over a field of gnarled, old Chardonnay vines at Beckstoffer’s 138-acre Las Amigas Ranch in Carneros, purchased in 1993 from the Louis M. Martini Winery. “This is the last gasp on these Martini vines,” Grassland said. “The bulldozer is idling.” Within hours after harvesting a sparse crop, Beckstoffer’s men ripped out the entire phylloxera- and virus-infected vineyard. In its place will be planted healthy, disease-resistant Chardonnay and Merlot vines that will, Crossland hopes, produce a large enough yield of tasty, ripe fruit to make a good wine and a good profit, too.

Overcropped vines – those that carry too many grapes – typically yield lower-quality wines, and some of Beckstoffer’s yields are surprisingly high for Napa’s premium grapes. While some hillside vineyard owners brag about their low yields of 2 tons per acre, certain Beckstoffer vineyards in Napa Valley can sometimes yield up to 10 tons per acre. But Beckstoffer and Crossland, like other savvy growers, understand that closer vine spacing, proper vine training, irrigation and soil and clone selection can produce excellent results with greater tonnage than previously thought possible. It may sound clichéd when Crossland says, “We’re looking for balance and quality with good yields,” but it’s true. Current wisdom suggests a balanced crop may vary according to variety and site, but truly balanced vines cannot, by definition, be overcropped. Many of the world’s winemakers no longer assume that minuscule yields are required for great wines. Beckstoffer got his start in 1966 when he was hired by Heublein, the Connecticut-based drinks giant, to work on acquisition strategies. By the time he moved to California from the East Coast in 1969, Beckstoffer had helped Heublein purchase both Inglenook and Beaulieu Vineyard. Heublein soon realized it would need more grapes to feed its expansion program, and Beckstoffer was instructed to set up a subsidiary company to buy and manage more vineyards. The young, cocky Dartmouth M.B.A. knew little about wine and less about grape growing. He made mistakes—and enemies—in the early days with a managerial style described by some as imperious. “I was a fast-track, corporate finance guy,” Beckstoffer says. Then he chuckles. “I’m nicer now.”

It seems to he true, judging by the core of competent and talented professionals that Beckstoffer has gathered around him. Many of them—like Crossland and company chief operating officer John Brown (also the mayor of St. Helena) – have worked with him for a decade or more. Increasing personal maturity and perseverance, plus a willingness to learn, helped Beckstoffer turn his early errors into successes.

By 1973 Heublein decided it wanted to divest itself of the subsidiary vineyard development company established and run by Beckstoffer, who was ordered to sell it. “I couldn’t sell the company, and Heublein couldn’t find me another job,” he remembers. Instead, he devised a highly leveraged buyout in which Heublein sold him the vineyard company along with 1,200 acres in Napa and Mendocino. “I put $7,500 up front,” Beckstoffer says. “Heublein and Connecticut Mutual [an insurance company with related land investments at the time] lent me the rest.” Evidently, the two large corporations had great confidence in Beckstoffer. It was the blind leading the blind.

“I defaulted on everything in 1978,” Beckstoffer recalls painfully. He then owed $5 million to Heublein and $2 million to Connecticut Mutual. Both companies could have pulled the plug on him, sending him into bankruptcy. Instead, an arrangement was made that allowed Beckstoffer to continue to own and operate his vineyard management company, albeit under Heublein’s close scrutiny. The drinks giant reclaimed about 700 acres in Napa, while Connecticut Mutual gave Beckstoffer the opportunity to refinance his loans on various Mendocino properties. Brown, a corporate CPA with agricultural experience, came on hoard at that time. “We needed someone to keep us financially efficient,” Andy says.

Brown and Beckstoffer ran a lean machine for the next 10 years, growing their own grapes— mostly in Mendocino County—and managing properties for others as well. By 1982 the company appeared to be out of danger, and Beckstoffer started buying new, smaller vineyard properties that no one else wanted. The big acquisition push began in 1988, when Connecticut Mutual sold him 250 acres in Napa known as Beaulieu No. 3. In 1992 and 1993 Beckstoffer Vineyards bought 300 acres in Napa–Carneros, and soon after purchased Beaulieu No. 4, which lies next to the Robert Mondavi Winery along Highway 29.

Beckstoffer Vineyards now employs more than 100 individuals full-time in its Napa and Mendocino operations. But aside from minor shares for key employees Beckstoffer and his wife of 36 years, Betty, own the whole deal. Two of their five children have shown a professional interest in wine. Beckstoffer hopes to see his children and grandchildren growing grape some day, and is putting much of his acreage in trust “for future generations—so my kids can’t sell it,” he says. “My lawyers are calling it my ‘Dynasty Trust.’ “

Next up is the (Jess) Jackson-Beckstoffer wine. There will, in fact, be two wines: a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot grown on Beaulieu No. 4, and a Cabernet-based wine from grapes grown on Beaulieu No. 3.
It will he interesting to observe the two wine and grape moguls over the years to come.

Consumers and winemakers alike will be watching the results of their collaboration. Whatever the outcome, Beckstoffer can look back with satisfaction on a long list of accomplishments. Even in the midst of a frantic 1996 harvest, the man from Richmond was secure enough to sit back, relax and declare, “I’m enjoying myself.” It’s hard not to believe him.

There is more to a bottle of California wine than meets the eye. The winery or brand named on the label doesn’t necessarily say anything about who grew the grapes. As the influential independent grower Andy Beckstoffer says (and he says this often), “Eighty percent at the wine grapes in California are grown by people who don’t make wine, so the quality of California wine depends to a great extent on independent growers. And if we don’t grow good grapes, we’re out of business. We can’t sell our mistakes off in bulk, like a winery can. And these grapes have seeds, so nobody’s going to ear ’em.”

Beckstoffer Vineyards and its wholly-owned subsidiary Winegrowers Farming Company, are headquartered in what looks like a century-old Victorian house (it was actually built from scratch a few years ago) at the company’s home vineyard, contiguous with Caymus Vineyards in the heart of the Rutherford appellation. The company owns approximately 2,000 acres, about half in Mendocino County and half in Napa Valley.

At first glance, Beckstoffer Vineyards may not seem extraordinary. There are other large growers on the north coast (Sonoma’s Sangiacomo Vineyards and Vino Farms, for example), and some with more recognizable names (Sangiacomo Vineyards, in Carneros-Sonoma, is designated on the labels of a dozen wineries each year). The company’s Mendocino County vineyards supply major labels such as Fetzer, Simi, Beringer, and Kendall-Jackson, but the wines are generally multi-source blends that benefit from Beckstoffer fruit without necessarily showing its character.

Several things set Beckstoffer Vineyards apart. One is the company’s disproportionate influence in the high-profile Napa Valley, where it is the largest independent grower (only Heublein and Mondavi, both wine producers as well as growers, own more vineyard acreage). Another is the impact its founder and president, Andy Beckstoffer, has had on the independent grape growing community. Beckstoffer is largely responsible for inventing and developing the role of the contract grower at the highest level of wine quality. Unlike many California grape farmers at the time, Beckstoffer knew the meaning of fine wine before he began growing grapes in 1969, and got a good sense of the specialized needs of premium winemaking from his first viticulturist, André

Tchelistcheff. Beckstoffer also seems to possess an ability to “see” the future, assimilating and implementing new ideas with a vigor that alternately challenges and baffles his competitors. And there is most definitely an element of savvy marketing, a very specialized form that invites the complicity of clients in creating the product.

Finally, there is the sheer dazzling quality of Beckstoffer’s Napa Valley holdings, 1,005 acres divided nearly equally between Rutherford, Oakville, and Carneros. Each of the ten vineyards is superb; most have been known historically as coveted fruit sources, and several are recognized within the valley’s wine community as living treasures. Together they constitute the most impressive portfolio of viticultural properties in California.

Unlike vineyard-designated Sangiacomo Vineyards wines, which tend to show similar fruit characteristics because they all come from one general area in Carneros-Sonoma, wines from the geographically diverse Beckstoffer locations are virtually impossible to characterize by aromas and flavor. Rather, the quality of Beckstoffer fruit (and its impact on the general character of Napa Valley wine) can be gauged by looking at a partial list of producers who use it (see box on tile next page).

Andy Beckstoffer has been assembling collection of viticultural treasures for more than a quarter-century. During that time he has been an outspoken advocate for the independent grower, and was instrumental in establishing the economic model for a successful top-quality grape growing business. On one hand he has been a conservative grower, particularly in the Napa Valley, where he focuses on five grape varieties that can pull the $20 per bottle retail price that he considers necessary for profitable grape growing. On the other hand his operation is in a continual state of evolution, consistently on the cutting edge in viticultural technology and practice—from the design and construction of an experimental spray rig in the company’s shop by master mechanic Jack Christensen, to the abandonment of formula farming (one-size-fits-all vine spacing, for example) in favor of site-specific farming, and the early embrace of new clones, rootstocks, and trellises. “You’re not selling cabernet sauvignon or ever Rutherford fruit anymore,” Beckstoffer asserts. “You’re selling clone, and rootstock, and trellis.”

He recalled a conversation with André Tchelistcheff in which the legendary vigneron told him, “Go for clones, not for varieties.” The wisdom in that advice has become increasingly clear, said Beckstoffer. He has continued to diversify within his vineyards. For example, in the Las Amigas vineyard he has planted three grape varieties, ten clones, and seven rootstocks, combined with different soils in thirty-one different blocks, with several different trellising systems. “For an operation our size we need to diversify, and we decided to diversify in multiple clones and rootstocks instead of multiple varieties.”

Andy Beckstoffer is a slim, athletic Virginian in his mid-fifties who jets around the valley in a bright red Mercedes-Benz jeep, communicating with his people by cell- phone—in other words, the classic image or an escapee from the corporate world, which he is.

He arrived in the Napa Valley as a Heublein executive in 1968 as part of a three-man acquisition team sent from company headquarters to expand Heublein’s United Vintners portfolio. “We quickly realized that we didn’t have enough grapes for Inglenook or BV, so I was asked to form a company to get grapes,” he recalled. “That’s when we developed the economics of prime varietal vineyards, and then I was forced to set up a farming company.” Vinifera Development Corporation, a subsidiary of Heublein, was formed in ’70. By ’72, Beckstoffer said, they were farming some 3,000 acres (nearly ten percent of the Napa Valley) and had a long-term grape supply for Inglenook and BV firmly in place.

An important episode during that period was Heublein’s battle over unionization with the United Farm Workers, led by Caesar Chavez. Beckstoffer was the chief negotiator; the deal he eventually struck with the union was signed in a San Jose motel room and celebrated with a nice, warm bottle of 1969 Inglenook Pinot Chardonnay. Beckstoffer still has that bottle on display in his wine cellar; it bears the signatures of Chavez, UPW lieutenant Dolores Huerta, Beckstoffer, several lawyers, and the scrawled date: August 17, 1971.

“So we accomplished all that,” recalled Beckstoffer, “and Heublein said okay, let’s sell the company. But I couldn’t find a buyer for this not-for-profit company with a union contract. And Heublein couldn’t find me a job with them that 1 wanted to take, so I said sell me the company.” Heublein and Connecticut Mutual Life loaned him the money to buy Vinifera Development Corporation and he went into business for himself in 1973. Unfortunately, the next few years saw double-digit inflation. By 1978 he was broke, and Heublein demanded its $5 million back. “I kept the Mendocino acreage and my house, but I have to tell you that was a tough time,” he said. It ended happily, however: Connecticut Mutual stuck with him until he was back on his feet with Beckstoffer Vineyards in its present form.

Beckstoffer chuckled wryly as he described his first meeting with André Tchelistcheff. The Heublein acquisition team had very quietly purchased BV from the Sullivan family before any of the employees knew what was happening, he said. “Then the chairman and the lawyer flew home early, and I was left to explain to André that Heublein had bought the company. I went through this long spiel and then he said to me, and these were his exact words, ‘Talk is cheap—we’ll see what you do.’ And we developed a relationship from there. André was my first viticulturist, and we also brought in a young viticulturist from Fresno named Bob Steinhauer. It was magnificent how the old respected the young and the young respected the old.”

When the economy soured again in the early ’90s, Beckstoffer was in a different position. In quick succession he was able to snap up viticultural treasures from Charles Krug, Louis Martini, and BV. “It’s in those days that you’re able to buy good ground. That kind of property just doesn’t come up except in hard times.”

One of the most interesting aspects of Beckstoffer Vineyards is how it has evolved in parallel to the Napa Valley wine community, which resembles a very intelligent and adaptable organism that learns as it goes, instantly assimilating new knowledge to become ever more effective. Warren Winiarski observes, “Their first vineyards were not specifically innovative, but the vineyards they’re planting now are innovative, and responsive to the state of knowledge. It’s a very fast track of learning.”

Nature stimulates learning with constant tests and surprises. The latest came with the 1996 harvest, which was unexpectedly a difficult one for California’s grape growers—an on-again, off-again, hurry-up-and-wait ordeal that strained grower-winery relations because ultimately the healthy crop that had been projected failed to completely materialize in fermentation tanks. Grape tonnage was off the projections as much as sixty percent in some places, and the worst part was that it foiled the most experienced eyes and the best computerized crop models.

On September 11, 1996 it rained in St. Helena. John Crossland, vice-president of Winegrowers Farming Company and Beckstoffer’s right hand man, awoke to a sound he hadn’t heard for months: the patter of raindrops on his roof. It didn’t last long, just long enough to remind Crossland that in his business, nothing can be taken for granted.

Grapes, for example. As his picking crews entered Beckstoffer IV that morning to commence harvesting, it quickly became obvious to Crossland that the weight of ripe grapes coming off the vines and the tonnage his client wineries were expecting would not exactly match.

When a vineyard is being picked, a forklift sits in the open space where trucks pull in to pick up loads of freshly-picked fruit to be driven to wineries. Hanging from the raised fork is a portable hi-tech scale, a small box with an LCD readout, a few buttons below the face, and a government inspector’s wax-and-wire seal on the calibration control. Coming out of the bottom of the box is a cable with a large hook attached.

Every few minutes a tractor crawls out of the vine rows pulling a bin full of grapes. Before each bin is stacked on the truck it is weighed, an operation closely attended by all parties. As the scale takes the full weight of the bin all eyes are on the LCD readout. When the numbers stop flashing the foreman records the weight, a label is slapped on the bin, and it goes onto the truck. Like the company, the pickers are paid by the weight. They can earn as much as $12-14 an hour if the weight is there. But a bin full of grapes is not a bin full of grapes where weight is concerned—depending on the density of clusters, the site of berries, how much juice they contain, one mass of grapes may weight more than another.

As the first few bins were weighed that morning in Beckstoffer IV the head pickers returned to their compadres shaking their heads, and the word went down the rows where men were sweating and cutting bundles from the vines: the weight isn’t there. The
foreman looked at his clipboard and frowned as he keyed the talk button on his walkie- talkie. In his truck on Highway 29, John Crossland turned up his radio and got the word. With a set jaw, Crossland pulled his cellphone out of its cradle and speed-dialed. “Morning, Andy,” he said. “I hate to ruin your day, but it’s not looking too good over here.”

“We were embarrassed,” Beckstoffer admitted later. “We knew it was light. We didn’t think it was this light. The reason we didn’t know sooner is that it has to do with bunch weight, not bunch count, so it’s hard to gauge while the fruit is still on the vine. Our normal sampling didn’t pick it up. What happened was the rain in May and heat in early August created inconsistencies, so if you didn’t sample in all the right spots you didn’t get it. That really embarrassed us—1 think everybody was embarrassed, but I market the fruit, so I get the call [from irate winemakers].” Technological competence has always been one of Beckstoffer’s top priorities. For him the 1996 debacle was not so much a wake-up call as a reminder that there is always more a grower can do to perfect the product. One of the most important things a contract grower has to offer the winemaker is experience with particular plots of ground. John Crossland said, “It’s surprising how often the winemaker will be ready to pick and we’ll say, with the history of this block another ten days of hang time might benefit you. Or they’ll say the fruit isn’t ready, and we’ll say yes it is. And it is.” Grower-winemaker relations haven’t always been so easy, Crossland said. “I’ve been managing vineyards since nineteen-seventy-two, and it’s only in the last five years that we’ve been communicating better with wineries. There was an elitist attitude before. The winemakers didn’t want some farmer being presumptive about knowing how to make a good wine.”

Winemaker Bob Levy buys fruit from thirty-two vineyards between Carneros and Calistoga for the range of Merryvale Vineyards wines. Since ’93 lie has bought Beckstoffer merlot for a vineyard-designated bottling, Beckstoffer IV, totalling a few hundred cases—a miniscule amount in the grand scheme of things, but well in the ballpark for a single-vineyard wine that will retail for $30 per bottle (the ’94 will be released this spring). Levy offered an example of why he likes working with the Beckstoffer organization. “I like things to visually be manicured, shoots tucked neatly, hedged and trimmed neatly,” he said. “The whole idea is to get good light exposure and get sunlight without sunburn, for improved fruit flavor and tannin maturity. People up and down the valley are putting in these vertical trellises, but they don’t know what to do with them—they don’t tuck shoots and lift the wires, they just let everything flop all over like the old ‘California tee’. I see this over and over again, but not with the Beckstoffer group.”

Warren Winiarski has produced a Beckstoffer Chardonnay since 1986. The fruit comes from a natural “fruit bowl” in the low hills of the northern Carneros, along Carneros Creek not far from the famous Winery Lake Vineyard. The Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Beckstoffer Chardonnay has been very well received, but Winiarski is a notorious perfectionist. He feels that better fruit would make a better wine, and within the next few years hopes to have that improved fruit.

Because of phylloxera’s threat to the AXR-1 roots at Carneros Creek, the vineyard will have to be replanted. Beckstoffer has determined that since this is a relatively warm, sheltered spot, it should be replanted to merlot. Meanwhile, Winiarski has agreed to shift his chardonnay source south to the Las Amigas vineyard, which is already being

replanted to his specifications. “It’s still a grower-winery relationship,” Winiarski observed, “but he made a very specific effort to find out what we’d like as tar as clones and rootstock, and even spacing issues came up.” To accomodate the Stag’s Leap style, Beckstoffer agreed to plant several different clones of chardonnay, including newly available ones from Dijon, and to space the vines a mere five feet apart in the rows.

Winiarski has a high and very specific expectation of what the new vineyard can offer in terms of wine quality. “The word is transparency—we want more clarity or transparency at the end, a clear, unblurred taste access to the very end of the fruit on the palate. That’s what we’re looking to achieve—brighter, clearer fruit, without any blur or obscuration of the clear focus of the flavors.” Does he expect a notable difference in the sensory profile of the wine? “I expect the intensity issue to be more focused, but I don’t expect flavors to change,” he said. Nor does he expect to change the winemaking “We’ve got the winemaking parameters in place. Our settling, our lack of crushing and maceration, are prepared to give us the higher quality with the improved fruit.”

He added, “We would be very surprised and disappointed if all our meddling failed to achieve the results we want.

Beckstoffer Vineyards officially talks about yield in pounds per lineal root, rather than tons per acre. Both terms translate to the same volume of juice, but there is a spin to the Beckstoffer terminology. It is a way of convincing winemakers that he can grow more fruit with as good or better quality. This new perspective follows a change in cultural practice from the wide spacing of vines traditional in California (8’xl2′) toward the closer spacing found in European vineyards, which can add thousands of vines more per acre. The basic idea is that more plants means more lineal feet of fruit bearing vine, hence more tonnage per acre—even while reducing the crop load on each individual vine. In simplest terms, a given vine produces less fruit but the whole vineyard produces more, and because the limited yield from each vine is better the overall vineyard quality is better—a classic win-win situation. This marks a long overdue shift in thinking in California, away from the vague impression that lower overall tonnage per acre means higher quality. As wines made from Beckstoffer fruit and fruit produced by the increasing number of like-minded growers continue to please winemakers and consumers, this more accurate view of yield per vine is rapidly becoming accepted.

Andy Beckstoffer believes his company’s profile will be raised considerably going into the next millennium. Kendall-Jackson’s announcement that it will produce single- vineyard wines from two of the historic BV vineyards now owned by Beckstoffer, and that it will build a new winery specifically for that purpose, is seen by observers of California winedom as a signpost to the future. “Jess Jackson and I share the vision that after the turn of the century the best wines will be single-vineyard expression,” notes Beckstoffer. The wines will have historic significance as the first modern single-vineyard wines made from those superb properties (BV wines have always been blends).

The project also means a double reunion for Kendall-Jackson vice-president Tom Selfridge—not just with his old friend Andy Beckstoffer, whom he first met while working at BV as winemaker and, eventually, president from 1972-1989, but also with vineyards that mean something to him on a personal level.

“It’s especially nice for me because I used to work with those grapes,” said Selfridge. “That’s a great piece of ground, and we really want to make a wine that expresses that terroir.”

It’s likely that other important expressions of Napa Valley terroir will come from Beckstoffer-farmed vineyards. Andy Beckstoffer insists that good business is synonymous with the pursuit of highest quality, that quality is the most commercial motivation for a grower in his position, and the best insurance against inevitable economic downturns. “You can go back to the 1860s and you’ll find that the Crabbs and Krugs, when faced with problems went with quality,” he said. “Then the new families

like Martini and Mondavi, it was the same thing, the solution has always been quality. In good times everybody makes money, but in bad times if you have bad grapes you hurt a lot. That’s history—it was always quality that got the guys through who made it through.”

Rod Smith is a San Francisco-based Writer at Large for Wine & Spirits

The families of two of Califormia’s top vintners have concluded a deal to preserve and develop some of the most historic land in the Napa Valley.
The deal was made by Andy Beckstoffer, who owns more than 1,000 acres of grape land in the Napa Valley and another 1,000 in Mendocino County, and Jess Jackson, founder and proprietor of burgeoning Kendall-Jackson Vineyards & Winery.
Two pieces of land are involved. One is an 89-acre vineyard, next to Robert Mondavi in Oakville. When Beckstoffer bought it in 1993 it was heavily infested with phylloxera, which Beckstoffer characterized as the “bug of the month.
“The long-term value is there,” he said. He explained that the phylloxera was a disadvantage that could be remedied and set about rehabilitating what he realized was basically excellent land. Part of the repair was tearing out the phylloxera a-ridden vines.
The 89 acres will be replanted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The project is scheduled to be completed next spring.
The other property is one that Beckstoffer has owned since 1988, some 250 acres in Rutherford planted to Cabernet Sauvignon. Like the Oakville property, it was purchased by Beckstoffer from Beaulieu Vineyards.
Jackson said he plans to use grapes from the two vineyards in a new series of single vineyard desig nated wines.
“These are not only two of the most historic vineyards in all of California, but also two of the finest in the world,” Jackson said. “I admire and eagerly look forward to working with this fruit and (I) look forward to working with someone like Andy, who has consistently been on the cutting edge of viticulture quality.”
Calling the agreement with Jackson a partnership of two families dedicated to quality, Beckstof fer said the vineyards “have been in the hands of some of the finest winemakers in the world and have produced some of the very best Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon wines, but they’ve generally been blended with grapes from other vineyards.
“Historically, some of the world’s finest vines have expressed the character and terroir (soil) of single vineyard sites and, with the help of Jess and his winemaking team, am proud and excited to think we will finally see what these great vineyards are really about.”
One of the most valuable tools for wine enthusiasts is the Wine
Spectator’s “Wine Country Guide to California.” It features the addresses and telephone numbers of nearly 600 wineries and information on picnic sites, gift shops, visiting hours and the like. The 1996 edition is just cut, available at wine shops and newsstands, or by phone, 1-800-752-7799.

In order to maintain equal footing with producers in today’s competitive wine market, Napa Valley grape growers need to change the way in which grape contracts are negotiated. “Growers need to relate to the end product — the bottle of wine — instead of the size of the crop, which is generally how agricultural contracts have been negotiated for decades,” says Andy Beckstoffer, largest independent grower in Northern California.

Grape growers need to take into account the cost of Investment and business risks as well as what the bottle of wine that contains their grapes is retailing for when they negotiate with vintners new pricing contracts that could extend into the next century.

That was the message area growers heard at a well-attended contracts seminar conducted Tuesday afternoon by the Napa Valley Grape Growers Association.

Urging growers to scrap outdated pricing formulas, Beckstoffer said the timeworn practice of using grape prices from the prior harvest to negotiate the crush at hand “is out of touch with reality.”

A founding member of the Napa Valley Grape Growers Association and a member of its board of directors, Beckstoffer said there’s little doubt grape prices will increase in ’96, ’97 and maybe even ’98.

Some in the industry believe the most realistic scenario has prices for top chardonnay, merlot and cabernet sauvignon reaching $2,000 a ton by the next crush.

As an example, Beckstoffer showed those attending Tuesday’s meeting the wide range of prices paid for Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon in 1994 alone. While the average amount was $1,465 per ton, one grower was paid $500, another $3,500.

In ’94, five buyers controlled 26 percent of the local cabernet sauvignon crop and most bought grapes at below-average prices.

Recent surveys of industry members reveal profits are up for more than 80 percent of respondents, while nearly two-thirds of the vintners surveyed by Wine Business Monthly said they were eliminating discounts and raising bottle prices.

To support his claim of need for a change in grape pricing methods, Beckstoffer pointed to a decline in prices paid per ton for cabernet sauvignon, merlot and chardonnay the past three years while sales of those varietals have grown by 20 to 40 percent.

“If a winery comes to you and says you’ve got good grapes and they want ’em, how do you negotiate the price?,” he posed. The man who sells grapes to more than 30 wineries, Beckstoffer suggests vineyard investment expenses, the annual cost of farming the land and the grower’s desired return on investment need to be factored into a proposed formula for coming up with the desired price per ton of grapes — a figure that must be reached prior to entering into negotiations with winery representatives.

Beckstoffer put a price on bare land and added in present-day development and ongoing costs, suggesting a 9 percent return on Investment. Another panelist, certified public accountant Dave Brotemarkle, suggested return on investment at 15 percent to take into account the risks of farming.

Once the grower determines the revenue needed per acre to support a 9 percent return, then it’s

time to negotiate grape prices, Beckstoffer said.
If a winery agrees to provide the grower with that per acre revenue, then it’s the winery taking

the annual risk of grape yield.
The grower could take on that risk, dividing his desired revenue per acre by yield per acre,

whether annual expected yield is four tons or eight tons.
Beckstoffer proposed a few ways in which to negotiate a long-term contract that stabilizes

grape prices, eliminating the necessity of yearly contract talks.
He feels the best method employs a bottle pricing formula. If the bottle of wine is to retail for

$15, then the grape price could be 100 times that retail price, or $1,500 per ton. The formula could be negotiated at 80 or 90 times the retail price, tying the price of grapes to the winery’s economic progress, he added. And the price per ton could fluctuate as bottle prices went up or down.

“For every $100 added to the price of grapes, you add $1.43 to the cost of a bottle of wine,” Beckstoffer added. “On average, a ton of grapes produces 700 bottles of wine.”

‘To produce a premium case of wine in the Napa Valley costs $50 or less,” he said.

A recent analysis by industry watchdog George Schofield has the cost of producing a case of wine at the Robert Mondavi Winery at 50 percent of its wholesale case price, at Chalone 60 percent.

If a bottle of wine retails for $10, the winery is getting $60 wholesale, he added. If a bottle is priced at $15, the winery gets $90 per case, at $20 per bottle, $120 per case.

“You just can’t put Napa Valley grapes in a $10 bottle of wine,” he concluded.

Brotemarkle’s figures were slightly different. He maintains paying $1,000 a ton for grapes means that bottle of wine has to wholesale for $8 and sell for at least $13 retail; $1,800 per ton relates to $10 and $20 bottle prices, respectively.

The Napa Valley Grape Growers Association first advocated the use of bottle pricing in the mid-1970s. It was adopted in ’76 by Robert Mondavi, Schramsberg and the former Spring Mountain wineries.

“You should seek to share industry profitability, not drive the winery out of business or out of the county,” Beckstoffer cautioned.

“I think the time has come to base grape pricing decisions on sound business practices requiring return on investment, not the unstable and out-of-touch prior year market averages.”

Napa attorney Steve Buehl said it’s important winery and grower speak the same language in contract negotiations.
“If in doubt, spell it out” in the contract, he urged.