One of the tells of Valdiguié for me is a nose that has those candies that are wrapped to look like a strawberry and have that juicy gummy center. It is a nostalgic and welcome aroma. This has that, along with nutmeg, cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom, Chai and black tea. The palate is lovely with a long rose petal finish. It is soft in body and full of finesse.
The fruit was harvested predawn on the twenty-sixth of September. Thirty percent of the fruit was left as whole cluster, while the balance was de-stemmed, all went in to a concrete fermenter. Fermentation occurred with ambient yeasts and the must was pressed ten days after harvest. Primary and malolactic fermentation finished in neutral oak barrels, no additions were made except for sulfur dioxide, and the wine was bottled without any fining or filtration, so vegan.
222 cases produced.
2019 Wilson Foreigner Valdiguié
$30.00
This vineyard is David’s family farm, one of the oldest ranches in Napa Valley. Today they produce wine grapes, walnut oil, stone fruits, grass-fed beef, and pastured eggs. They were hit terribly by the fires in 2020 and are still rebuilding from that damage. The history of the ranch, taken directly from their website because I could not say it better:
One of the oldest ranches in Napa County, Rancho Chimiles is owned and operated by the Wilson family. The ranch straddles the ridge between Wooden Valley and northern Gordon Valley, and includes bench land in both valleys. The original land grant was awarded by Governor Pio Pico, the last Governor of Mexican California, to Jose Ignacio Berryessa in 1846, and purchased by William Gordon and Nathan Coombs in 1851. Wooden Valley is named for John Wooden, six-foot seven and size 15 boots, who came here in 1847. He and his descendants are buried in a small cemetery on the ranch.
Nestled in the sunny hills of Wooden Valley, northeast of the town of Napa, the ranch’s climate is cooled by evening breezes and fog from nearby San Pablo Bay, making it a perfect wine grape growing region.
In 1972, Virginia and Terry Wilson planted their first vineyard on Rancho Chimiles, 10 acres of Napa Gamay (also known as Valdiguie). In addition to the vineyard, they also put together a herd of angus cows, and were growing oat hay, setting in motion what Terry refers to as a “seat-of-the-pants education in agriculture.” “One beautiful day in 1974,” says Terry, “We drove up unannounced to Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, shaded by live oaks and looking just like an artisanal winery should. With our first child, Lily, tucked in the crook of my arm, I pushed open the heavy rustic doors and wandered in. Halfway down the row of tanks and barrels, I encountered a guy in rubber boots, rinsing a tank I think, and I said, ‘Hi, I’m looking for Warren Wa-rin-ski’ (sic). Thus began our long association with the Winiarski family and Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars.”
Today 70 acres of vineyard are planted at Rancho Chimiles (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Musque, Semillon, Tempranillo, Valdiguie, and Zinfandel), about a third of those at 600 feet elevation and two-thirds at 900 feet to 1,000 feet. These vineyards provide premium grapes to Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Pahlmeyer, Favia, Cruse Wine Company, Wilson Foreigner, The Prisoner, and Immix Wines.