Oakville Ranch
Winery Review
It was a foggy Napa morning when my husband and I headed up the Silverado Trail for our last winery tour before we headed back to Dallas. “It’s too bad the weather isn’t nicer,” he repeated about every 5 minutes it seemed. “This place is supposed to have an incredible view of the valley! And they only have tours and tastings Monday through Friday or we could have gone this weekend,” my sweet spouse continued lamenting.
“It will be fine,” I reassured him. “Let’s just hope the wine suits our palates better than those we tried yesterday.”
After snaking our way almost 1400 feet above Napa Valley, we pulled up in front of a beautiful home. Shelia who is General Manager of Oakville Ranch and was our tour guide for the morning greeted us enthusiastically! She eyed my husband’s shorts and short-sleeved shirt and asked him if he had a jacket. (He did not since he was expecting the sun to burn through the clouds any minute!) She wanted him to be warm enough while we were on her ATV touring the vineyards.
We huddled up in the back seat as she sped off towards the grapes, pointing out a couple of lovely blue birds who seemed to recognize her and flew along with us for a bit. Shelia explained that in 1989 Mary and Bob Miner, who is now deceased, purchased the 330 acre ranch. Currently 75 acres are planted in grapes, mostly Bordeaux varietals. Shelia pulled over and let us sample a Chardonnay grape after warning us it would taste bitter. It was not as bitter as I had expected and I always forget that these grapes have seeds. (She encouraged me to spit!) We also tasted a Cabernet grape…again not sweet enough to consider harvesting. Depending on the weather, harvest for Cabs was probably 6 weeks away.
Along our way, Shelia pointed out workers chopping off bunches of grapes from the vines.These “unworthy” grapes were being pruned to let their worthier counterparts get more sun and nutrients. It seemed like a waste to me, but Shelia assured me this was the best way to make the best wines. Oakville Ranch outsources 85% of their grapes resulting in a small case production of their wines.
Shelia pulled up to a point and stopped. We got out of the ATV and followed her to look out over the entire Napa Valley! We could see the fog below us and she pointed out various landmarks in the valley below. The view was amazing and it was so peaceful up there on the mountain. As we headed back to the house for our tasting, the sun burst forth!
Shelia escorted us to a lovely pool area which also overlooked the valley. The vista was splendid and we snapped more pictures while she brought out the wines. We started with their 2014 Chardonnay. Admittedly, I prefer reds. But this Chardonnay was perfect for drinking while sitting by the pool. In fact, I could have spent the rest of the day there!
Then we moved on to what turned out to be my favorite, the 2013 Field Blend. Finally, a wine that fit our taste profile. My husband was not surprised that we liked this wine so much: it was a blend of Zinfandel and Petite Sirah. It is very drinkable now but will continue to age well.
Next we tried Robert’s Cabernet Franc, a wine made in honor and memory of Oakville Ranch’s founder. I think it is difficult to make a wonderful Cab Franc which is a grape often blended with other varietals, but Oakville Ranch succeeded splendidly. This tasted exotic with some fruit to it and a lingering finish. I’m sure Robert would be proud.
Finally, we got to sample the yet-to-be-released 2013 Oakville Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon. Wow! This is already a complex Cabernet with chocolate undertones and even a hint of vanilla.
Again, this wine has a long finish with a little kick to it. It will be even more amazing as it ages.
By the end of our time, Shelia was like a familiar friend. As we hugged her good-bye she made one request: that we become ambassadors for their wines. As new Oakville Ranch Terrace Club members (this is only one of two wine clubs in all of Napa Valley we feel are worth joining so far) we are happy to let everyone know what an outstanding winery Oakville Ranch is and that they are very lucky to have Shelia as a general manager. Don’t miss this tour or these fabulous wines! We can’t wait for the weather to cool down in Dallas so we can receive our first shipment!
Oakville Ranch
7781 Silverado Trail
Napa
707-944-9665
Oakvilleranch.com