Vineyards of Rowland Cellars
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Three components make an outstanding wine from a single vineyard; the location, vineyard management and varietal clone. Only a few vineyards can produce fruit sufficiently unique and complete to deserve such a status as a single vineyard. On Atlas Peak at 1800 feet the terroir consists of a shallow top soil of Terra Rossa soil, broken up by volcanic rock. Around midday the temperature rises to its peak helping to develop ripe berry fruit flavors and late in the afternoon the cool bay breeze filters through. This prolongs the ripening period helping to develop more concentration, flavor and color. In fact this vineyard of Pinot Noir is not ready to be picked until the valley floor is harvesting it’s Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. (Two weeks later than Carneros Pinot Noir) The phylloxera tolerant, shallow rooted rootstock trained on a twin vertical trellis produces only a single cluster per shoot and a low two and a half tons per acre. The clonal characteristic is a natural low yield, late to harvest, tough thick skinned berry that is half the size of a normal berry. The quintessential wine; Rowland Atlas Peak Pinot Noir- Black ruby color, earthy red black fruits with an intense dried cranberry and clove potpourri bouquet. Dried cherry, cranberry flavors, smokey oak, exotic spices with a long full palate for aging. You can never have to much of a good thing! The original Blue Tooth Vineyard was planted to Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1920’s. In 1945 the Gittings family purchased the property and converted it to a dairy, a result of the long term effects of prohibition on wine consumption. In the late 80’s it was replanted to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Since 1993 I have been making a limited quantity of wine from this exceptional vineyard. It took another four years to convince the Gittings to continue planting, and then to secure a contract so that I would have enough fruit to truly show the quality from this vineyard. The Vineyard is located in one of the Napa Valley’s upcoming appellation areas; Oak Knoll. Blue Tooth Vineyard borders the famous Stags Leap District and shares many of its unique attributes. Oak Knoll has a westerly aspect, excellent drainage, a rock base with sandy gravel topsoil, undulating hills and historically was also once the bed of the Napa River. The quintessential wine; Cenay Blue Tooth Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon- Deep ruby colored, supple tannin wines with elegance and finesse. Aromatically a rich bouquet of mineral scents, cigar box, ripe currents and plum fruits. Why make wine in New Zealand? The memorable attributes of Burgundy’s famous appellations are the clones, hang time, terroir, and cool climate. But throughout Burgundy early rains can spoil fruit quality and lower concentration, resulting in an early harvest or the risk of mold. Is there a location that has the great attributes of Burgundy without harvest rains spoiling the most exquisite year you have ever had? The Goddess of Noir’... said, "Longitude 46.5 South, Latitude 168 East." There was found the most southern viticultural region in the world, New Zealand’s ‘Central Otago’. Carved by glaciers a land of westerly slopes, well-drained gravel, warm days, and cool nights. Here the grapes hang for an extra month developing concentration without threat of rain during harvest. I have managed to secure a limited amount of Pinot Noir from Central Otago appellation. This exceptional fruit comes from a small 3 acre parcel of 25 year old vines. In 1973 Bill & Gillian Grant planted Pinot Noir clones from Pommard and Dijon, I currently consult for the Grants as winemaker and viticultralist. They carefully remove leaves and crop at 2 tons per acre to create the superb fruit of Jill’s Vineyard. We are proud to release a vineyard designate wine from Jill’s Vineyard under our Rowland label. Rowland’s Red Triangle Vineyards unite the appellations of Atlas Peak, Stags Leap, and the district of Coombsville. The magnificent fruit from this triangular region exhibits unique components from all these famous Napa Valley localities. So, is this the Bordeaux or Rhone of Napa Valley? Maybe Napa Valley’s own Pauillac... or was it Hermitage! The Red Triangle Vineyards not only contain the underlying soil structure of well drained granite, gravel riverbeds of Pauillac or Hermitage, but they also share the requirement of a low rainfall. The key to the consistency of Rowland’s Red Triangle Vineyards is it’s drier climate and wind sheltered, northwestern aspect over its sister regions. The quintessential wines; Rowland Red Triangle Cabernet Sauvignon- deeply colored, rustic, muscular robust wines with an exotic richly scented bouquet of blackcurrents, cedarwood and chocolate. Rowland Red Triangle Syrah- dark, dense colored full-bodied wines with fresh ground black pepper spices, licorice, game like scents and black fruits. Hit the "BACK" button on your browser to return to previous page
Located in the unique Oak Knoll region, one of Napa Valley’s pending appellations, Rodgers Vineyard borders the famous Stags Leap District and shares many of its attributes. Oak Knoll has a westerly aspect, excellent drainage, a rock base with sandy gravel topsoil and undulating hills. Historically, it was also once the ancient bed of the Napa River. The key elements that contribute to the success of this vineyard are its location, clone type, vine maturity and management. The location provides cold nights and mornings which delay harvest, allowing more time for the grapes to develop color and flavor. The clone is low yielding and late to ripen and the average vine age is over 40 years. These factors contribute most to the concentration of the fruit. Good trellis management and increased sun exposure through leaf removal and windowing of the canopy maintain yearly consistency. I have named our Rodgers Vineyard Pinot Noir in tribute to a Napa Valley family’s quiet achievements. Although Cliff Rodgers passed away in 1999, the family’s third generation maintains ownership and supervision of this exceptional vineyard. In fact much of their fruit has driven the success of the Mumm Napa Valley Blanc de Noir sparkling program. I have been working with Rodgers Vineyard since 1991, making the first vintage in my garage– an attempt to increase my understanding and yield the secrets of both Pinot Noir and Oak Knoll. I count myself fortunate to have made wine for so many years from such consistent, quality fruit!
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