Trahan Winery: Small, Single Vineyard Wines, from Napa Valley, California

2005 Suisun Valley Ledgewood Vineyards - Cabernet Sauvignon
2005 Suisun Valley Ledgewood Vineyards - Petite Verdot

Winegrapes have flourished in Northern California’s Suisun Valley since the 1800’s. At the beginning of the 1980’s the United States started it’s appellation system and Suisun Valley was granted appellation status in 1982 as the 17th such designation in a system that today now numbers close to 200 designations.

The 2004 Cabernet comes from a moderately hillside block planted on St. George root grafted with clone 7. The soils are of various clay. The eastern hillside location in mid valley affords excellent growing conditions with significant evening cooling from marine air coming from San Pablo and Suisun Bays, while mid day temperatures warm to upper 80’s favorable to fully mature Cabernet ripening. Trellised on a Verticle Shoot Position system, canopy management includes careful leaf pulling post fruit set to allow positive dappled sunlight to improve flavors and color.

An adjoining block of Petit Verdot, Barbour 400 clone, was sourced to provide additional structure and complexity. While a relatively new planting, the specific clone is one of the new French ENTAV cuttings recently approved for cultivation in the United States.

2006 Mendocino Chardonnay

Winegrapes were first planted in Mendocino County in the years following the California Gold Rush, in the 1850s. Immigrant farmers, failing as prospectors, turned to agriculture as a way of life in their new home. Saving the flatter lands on the river plains for farming food crops, these pioneer winegrowers planted their vineyards on the more rugged hillsides and sun-exposed ridgetops.

Today, Mendocino vineyards and wineries prosper, as the name "Mendocino," and the special qualities of its wines, become increasingly well-known. Attention in the region has now turned to focus upon the particular grape varieties and wine styles that, in each particular Mendocino microclimate, can produce the best and most distinctive wines.

With new vineyard locations, different varietals, specialized viticultural techniques, a strong regional emphasis on organic grape growing, and skilled winemaking, Mendocino grapes and wine are positioned for even greater success in coming years.

2006 Carneros Pinot Noir

Influenced by the cooling effect of the Pacific Ocean and a combination of summer fog, warm days, and a long growing season, the Carneros wine region is an independent American Viticultural Area (AVA). Carneros was the first wine region based on climate rather than political boundaries. It received its designation in 1983.

Carneros is a unique cool climate appellation. Located 40 miles from San Francisco, Carneros is the first viticultural area encountered traveling north from the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco Bay. The Bay and nearby Pacific Ocean create the fog, wind and moderate temperatures that characterize the region as maritime.

While Carneros has long been considered an ideal location for the cultivation of Burgundian grapes such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, in recent years special sites throughout the region have increasingly produced Merlot, Syrah and a wide range of other varietals. Carneros enjoys a long, moderate growing season that allows the grapes to mature slowly and evenly, giving balanced fruit still rich in color, flavor and acidity.

Topographically Carneros is the crossroads between the low-lying areas of the northern reaches of San Francisco Bay and the rolling hills to the north in both the Napa and the Sonoma Valleys. The elevation in Carneros ranges from sea level in the south to 400 feet in the Mayacamas foothills.

As inland temperatures rise during the day, moist air over the cold Pacific is drawn inland over Carneros, cooling temperatures from mid afternoon into evening. These fresh afternoon winds slow activity in leaves and dry the dew left by morning fog, inhibiting mildew and mold. Fog rolls in throughout the night and this provides a gentle buffer to the next morning's sun, repeating the climatic cycle.