Napa Valley Vineyards

North of San Francisco, between the Mayacamas and Vaca Mountain ranges, lies the Napa Valley. Despite being one of the smallest winegrowing regions in the world, Napa Valley abounds with complexities due to its undulating topography ranging from breeze-blown flatlands near sea level and rolling hills at the southern end, to steep hillsides rising up to Mount St. Helena at the northern border. The differences in soil composition throughout the valley and variances in cooling breezes, sun exposure, and daily temperature swings create a great number of distinct microclimates for a region so small.

Oakville
Oakville lies on the valley floor smack dab in the heart of Napa. The climate here is perfect for the vines as warm sunshine is abundant. The sun quickly burns off the early morning fog and the afternoon breezes arrive late, which gives the grapes the ripeness they need to fully develop. The soils are well-drained alluvial fans, so the roots go deep, making the vines work hard. As a result, the wines of Oakville are rich and complex, sometimes dense, with the reds showing classic aging potential.

Rutherford
Just to the north of Oakville, Rutherford is wider than its southern neighbor, and a smidgen warmer too. The area shares the alluvial fan soils of Oakville and, because of these geological similarities, the wines are comparable. Rutherford wines are more uniform in their structure and style, less diverse than those of Oakville. Yet they are of no inferior quality. Wines of Rutherford are known for their fruit-forward elegance and structure

Stag's Leap District
Sitting southeast of Oakville and Rutherford is the small little enclave of Stag's Leap. What the Stag's Leap AVA lacks in size it makes up for in personality. While cool breezes and morning fog keep the temperature in check, sun exposure is long, leading to an evening ripening of grapes. The rocky volcanic soils here help temper vine vigor and absorb the daytime sun, later reflecting it back on the vines when the breezes come through. Here, reds are king and though the wines are intense, they are also known for their soft, supple texture and smooth tannins.