Carneros - Bouchaine Vineyards Tour

The Carneros AVA (American Viticultural Area) is sandwiched between Sonoma and Napa, and it exhibits the perfect conditions for growing pinot noir grapes -- fog, warm days, and a long growing season.  So many variables go into making a good wine -- climate, orientation of the vines, slope of the terrain, soil quality, and rainfall, to name a few.  But one of the most important variables is the human element.  The winemaker selects the grapes and decides when to harvest, then blends and fine-tunes each vintage to his/her perfect ideal.

We were invited on a private tour of the Bouchaine Vineyards and Winery.  Our guide was the winemaker and general manager, Michael Richmond.  Michael wanted to show us the entire process from start to finish, so we hopped in a pickup truck and headed for the vineyards.

The vineyards seemingly stretch before you as far as the eye can see.

Michael made sure to stop frequently and tell us a bit about each type of grape that is grown on the estate.  He explained how the decisions made when planting the vines (such as orientation, spacing, and trellising) can have a great impact on the wine that is produced.  Each vineyard block is optimized for the type of grape grown there (pinot noir, chardonnay, pinot gris, or pinot meunier).

Approximately 80% of the grapes on the estate are grown using sustainable agricultural practices.  Michael emphasized that in most cases, using the sustainable practice was just as easy for them as it would be to use traditional techniques.  Some of the "green" practices include: using organic compost instead of inorganic fertilizers, using careful and deliberate water management, and planting other crops between the dormant vines to enhance the soil composition and reduce erosion.

After our vineyard excursion, we headed to the cellars for the barrel tasting.  Our first stop was the steel tanks holding the cold-fermented Chardonnay juice.  The wine itself was cloudy and tasted not quite ready for the table, but in the final steps it will be refined and blended with the Chardonnay juice that has been barrel aged to produce a fruity, spicy, aromatic Chardonnay wine.

From there we went to the barrel room and began sampling the Pinot Noir being aged in barrels.  Michael was very passionate about the subtle variations in each different lot that we sampled -- but for me, after 8 or 10 tastes I really couldn't tell the difference from one vintage to the next.

For anyone wondering if we ended up too intoxicated to drive after tasting so many wines, never fear.  As we watched Michael taste each wine, we observed him spit it out and dump the remainder of the glass on the asphalt floor, so we followed suit.  Each time we dumped our glasses, Michael's dog rushed over to lap up the spoils.  She seemed to prefer the Chardonnay.

Bouchaine Vineyards
1075 Buchli Station Road  |  Napa, CA 94559  |  800.654.WINE (9463)