Intro to the Coombsville Wine Area in Napa Valley

Although Coombsville is not a main AVA, it is still highly considered as a great wine production region. You will locate Coombsville just eastern of Napa. One of one of the most distinct distinctions between the wineries in Coombsville and those in other locations of Napa Valley is the fact that the majority of the wineries in Coombsville are family members owned along with household ran. This is a determined step far from the numerous commercialized operations in various other Napa Valley areas. Furthermore, many of the wineries in Coombsville have actually been possessed by the same locals, that live in the area, for quite some time.

The environment in the Coombsville region is somewhat of a cross between just what you will certainly find in various other regions. Coombsville obtains a great deal of direct exposure from the wind and also fog of San Pablo Bay, similar to the areas to the south. There are several components of Coombsville; nonetheless, that feature temperature levels that are warmer as well as similar in nature to the areas in the eastern hills.

Coombsville has actually become rather popular for generating outstanding Bordeaux varietals. Among the factors for this is the quantity of rains that this region gets annually. The Coombsville area receives approximately 25 inches of rain annually. Compared with the rest of Napa Valley, this is rather reduced. As an outcome, several Bordeaux varietals are commonly planted throughout the area; consisting of Red wine, Cabernet Franc as well as Cabernet Sauvignon.

The volcanic particles in this area has likewise had a strong contribution to the success of Coombsville. Countless years ago Mount George erupted as well as the resulting lava flows have actually enabled the terrain in the region to become the concept place for expanding a variety of grapes. Zinfandel, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon all prosper quite well in the soil in this region. The rather sloping and hillside surface indicates that the area is well drained. Therefore, the dirt below does not tend to preserve water. This results in summertimes that are much hotter than lots of various other areas. Because Cabernet Sauvignon grapes need warm dirt in order to totally ripen this is the ideal location for them to thrive. The awesome appeal of this region makes it ideal for excursions.

The region of Coombsville has established, generally, along with the nearby community of Napa. Nicholas Higuerra and Jacob Leese were given comprehensive land grants throughout the 1840s throughout the southerly Napa Valley. During this moment the majority of the local economic climate included animals and farming; nonetheless, Leese quickly identified that the awesome environment was ideal for planting vineyards.

Coombsville takes is name from the purchase of land by Nathan Coombs from Nicholas Higuerra in 1848. The town of Napa would become established on component of this land. The area endured right along with the rest of the Napa Valley throughout Prohibition or even after Prohibition had been repealed, there was little manufacturing of high quality wine in this area. Trim orchards shown to be much more profitable throughout this time duration. It was not till the 1960s that wineries began to be planted to any type of huge degree in this area. In 1975, Tulocay Vineyard was developed by Costs Cadman. His vineyard has concentrated on the manufacturing of red Bordeaux varietals consisting of Red wine, Cabernet Sauvignon and also Cabernet Franc.

Several of one of the most popular vineyards in Coombsville include Dolce Vineyard, Farella Winery, Tulocay Vineyard as well as Caldwell Vineyard.

Chiles Valley

Although small, Chiles Valley is one of the premier wine regions in the state of California. More than 6,000 acres comprise Chiles Valley; however, only a little more than 1,000 acres are planted vineyards. While Cabernet Sauvignon thrives in other regions, Zinfandel is king in Chiles Valley.

When touring Chiles Valley, you will find a small group of small wineries. The well drained soil and warm climate in this region have made it capable of producing outstanding Zinfandel wines in addition to excellent Cabernet Sauvignon.

During the evenings and at night, the cooling winds blow through this region, creating a situation where the growing season in Chiles Valley is able to begin and end later than most adjacent regions.

You will find that the terrain in Chiles Valley is much different from that in the surrounding area. The valley itself is quite narrow and runs from the southwest to the northwest. The ridges that surround the valley are quite steep so it is not possible to grow the grapes in Chiles valley anywhere but on the floor of the valley.

The climate in Chiles Valley is decidedly cooler than St. Helena and Rutherford, both of which are on the floor of Napa Valley. As a result, it is not uncommon for the temperature to drop twenty degrees overnight during the winter. Along the ridges, where the elevation is higher, snowfall is also common. When spring first arrives in Chiles Valley, the temperatures remain quite cool; especially when compared to other regions in Napa Valley. The breaking of buds tends to occur some three weeks later in Chiles Valley than other regions; however, vintners in this region still must be concerned with spring frost due to the lateness of the cool temperatures.

As summer arrives, Chiles Valley experiences warm and sunny days with afternoons that are cooler as the fog begins to roll in from the Pacific Ocean and San Pablo Bay. While other regions are not affected by the fog as a result of their elevation, this is not the case with Chiles Valley. Due to the fact that the fog must travel some thirty miles before it even reaches Chiles Valley, the region only occasionally experiences truly foggy days.

While spring and winter are usually much cooler in Chiles Valley than surrounding areas, surprisingly, temperatures remain moderate well into fall. This is fortunate for the vintners because it provides them with a few extra weeks for the fruit to develop before they must harvest it. This is one of the reasons that Zinfandel does so well in Chiles Valley.

Colonel Joseph Ballinger Chiles received a Mexican land grant in 1844. This would be the last Mexican land grant in the region. What made Chiles’ arrival to the region unique was the manner in which he arrived. He traveled to the region as one of the first wagon trains to cross the Sierra Nevada. Before this time, all of the immigrants to the region had arrived via Mexico or the sea.

Twenty-five years later the first vineyards were planted in Chiles Valley. During the 1870s, Lomita’s Winery was also established. Later it would become part of the modern day Volker Eisele Family Estate.

During these early days, the isolation of Chiles Valley was both an advantage as well as a disadvantage. Even though much of the rest of the region was booming during the late 19th century, Chiles Valley was so isolated it made it difficult to thrive.

Yet, while other wine regions in California were largely decimated by phylloxera, Chiles Valley was fortunately spared much of the destruction due to its isolation. As a result, a number of the Zinfandel vines in Chiles Valley are actually quite old. Even after Prohibition was repealed; the isolation of Chiles Valley meant that it was unable to compete with the mass produced jug wines that became popular in post-Prohibition years. It was not until the 1970s that any major production was begun on any scale in Chiles Valley. The Meyer family purchased a large plot of acreage in 1972 and began planning a wide variety of different grapes. Three years later, the Eisele Family planted their first Cabernet Sauvignons. Today, barely more than 1,000 acres are planted in vines in Chiles Valley; however, the wineries that are established here are known to be quite noteworthy.