The School
The house we live in was initially constructed in 1880 and served as one of Napa Valley’s first schoolhouses. The school name was Harmony School. Thus the vineyard name: Harmony School Vineyard. It was subsequently moved in 1839 from what is now Shady Brook Lane and Wild Horse Valley Road to its current location which is land donated by Antone Carbone in the early 1880s.
One of the notable features of the property is the original schoolhouse flagpole. I often meditate on it, thinking about the generations of school children who gathered around it. What hopes of the future did they have? What were they dreaming about? What games were they going to play that day? There is so much power in the history of this property. It means so much to us to connect people to this story because it inspires optimism, hope, belief and humility to the fragility of life.
It amazes me that I can still find artifacts from the schoolhouse days when I work the soil. Everything from a horseshoe to a 1980 pin commemorating the democratic national convention. Even more endearing, are the neighbors who have stories of grandparents who attended the school.
The Vineyard
The vineyard was planted in 2003 by the Valdez brothers who still take care of the vineyard to this day. In 2023 the vineyard was certified organic by CCOF. It was planted with Cabernet Sauvignon Clone 6 also referred to as the winemakers clone.
Clone 6 was brought from Bordeaux to California in the 19th century and can be traced back to the “Jackson Clone” which was planted in the 1880’s in the Sierra Foothills.
These vines produce small, loose clusters with small berries that result in a high skin to juice ratio and ultimately an intense flavor extraction, deep color, and robust structure in the wine. This gives us the basis for a muscular, age-worthy, robust wine with great intensity, and prized for adding depth and longevity.
Winemaking Philosophy
Our goal is to express the season and the land through the varietal into the bottle with minimal intervention during the winemaking process. This means that year over year, the wine will be experienced differently. I often sacrilegiously say we attempt to put God in a bottle. What is meant by this is that we want to express the changes in weather and the evolution of the soil. Every year the pattern of weather is different and has a material impact on the flavor profile and structure of the wine. Equally important is the land and age of the vines. The soil changes as rain, nutrients and the biosphere evolve. I like to think of the soil as a living being composed of a diverse life structure (insects, soil types, water, nutrients); it is constantly evolving. As the vines age, the root structure digs deeper into the soil. So, they are up-taking different nutrients as they get older and dig deeper into the land.
This means that every vintage is a new experience. The varietal gives a basis of consistency, but the weather and age of the vines will constantly evolve the wine. For example, a relatively cool vintage will produce a fruit forward wine whereas a hot vintage will produce a wine with high acidity. The thing is that rarely is a season strictly hot or cool so the weather gives us endless permutations of the way the wine will be experienced. Additionally, as the vines get older the roots go deeper into the soil where they consume different nutrients that influence the wine. Also, as the vines get older, they start to yield less fruit which is offset by more flavor intensity. We are committed to quality over quantity which means that as the vines get older, we will produce a wine with more character.
The Land
The land rests in an ancient caldera that was formed by eruptions from Mount George. Today the soil is a blend of volcanic and alluvial influences due to the millennia of eruptions, landslides, and river deposits from the Napa River. This results in a well-draining, nutrient poor conditions that beneficially stress the grape vines to the point that they produce a fruit with concentrated flavors and balanced acidity.
We are conscious of creating diversity on the land so that nature can take a primary role in vineyard management. Owls, cats, squirrels, butterflies, insects, black birds, bees, fungus, and much more contribute to the overall health of the vineyard. We do our best to step back and let nature do its work. One of the many things the vineyard has taught me is that I do not always have to intervene to make things better; just let life breath and it will take care of most of the work.
