PRINCIPLES GUIDING OUR WINE-GROWING PRACTICES Today, there is tremendous interest among consumers in understanding how things are made and a level of comfort being conveyed with regard to the veracity and authenticity associated with the production of goods. This is especially so, when it comes to food and beverages. This level of curiosity is particularly brought to the forefront by younger consumers. However, this level of understanding and assurance is clearly expressed by all demographics and is spreading throughout at a rapid pace. This desire for more ‘natural-ness’ in consumable products is a perfectly understandable concept- at least to us- as this has been a core philosophy guiding us throughout our lives and has been the driving force for the development of many of the principles we designed and adopted since the beginning of our wine-growing careers more than four decades ago. Many of these winegrowing principles were expanded upon and implemented beginning in the late 1970’s and early 1980's. Through the invaluable experience of working almost exclusively with non-irrigated hillside-grown Cabernet Sauvignon, we began to understand the need for following certain practices in growing grapes having significant impact on the resultant wine’s ability to best express the characteristics giving it a true expression of where it was grown and to do so in a methodology combining a suppleness and pleasure while the wine is young and at the same time confer upon the wine the profound ability to age well- often for decades. We have always felt strongly there needed to be a holistic approach to wine production, one which encompassed, from the very beginning, the selection of the site, the design of the vineyard, the raising of the young vines and the annual decisions needing to be made in the growing of the grapes all the way through the many decisions needed during the vinification of the wines. Many of these ideas were not well received at the time they were implemented (in the early 1980’s, for example) and the innovative concept of “Winegrowing” was not well comprehended my most in the US, by either the ‘old guard or traditional’ grape growers nor the ‘old guard or traditional’ winemakers. Change is often a difficult thing to accept, approaching grape growing and winemaking as a single-minded purpose, which was something, as far as we have knowledge of, was not a generally recognized practice in Napa Valley going back to as far as the years directly after the repeal of Prohibition in 1933. We firmly believed we could produce higher quality wines by implementing this approach, but we were not yet able to prove it to the disbelievers. Ultimately, through determination and perseverance, the ability to recognize the importance of Winegrowing as a philosophical approach to producing wine has become much more well accepted. OBSERVATIONS AND ADJUSTMENTS DURING A CHALLENGING ERA Prior to the replanting of much of Napa Valley in the late 1980’s through the late 1990’s due to the blight of phylloxera, many Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards were trellised in a technique referred to as a ‘California Sprawl’. This system allowed the growing shoots to grow upwards and then droop over as they grew too long to be able to remain standing upright and they would form a canopy resembling an umbrella. When extensive replanting was done in the late 80’s and into the 90’s, many, if not most vineyards were replanted using a vertical shoot positioning (VSP) trellis system, where the growing shoots were tucked tightly into a series of wires and the shoots were directed to grow straight up in a vertical manner and not allowed to droop over like an umbrella, as was allowed previously. When VSP began to be employed, to us, it became very apparent that row direction played a critical role in allowing for uniform ripening of the grapes on both sides of the canopy as well as protection of the clusters from both mildew and potential damage from excess sun exposure. When California Sprawl trellising was used, it didn’t matter which direction the vine rows were oriented. However, when the shoots are directed to grow inside a very narrow pathway in between the wires, there is a very marked difference in how the grapes mature if the rows are oriented east to west versus north to south. We formulated a plan in the late 80’s to direct the rows in a north to south orientation, as much as possible. This was done (for our location (latitude)), so we could ensure equal exposure and equal solar radiation effect for both sides of the canopy bringing more even ripening on both sides of this vertical curtain of foliage. Throughout our careers working with predominantly hillside vineyard sites, we recognized it was specific hillside vineyard sites we felt provided us with qualities and characters we valued above others. It was in those certain hillside vineyards we obtained wines of great power and concentration and wines which were most expressive of the qualities associated with the place where the grapes were grown. In other words, we were able to feel and to taste and experience wines with a true sense of place; a discernable expression of where those grapes were grown. The one challenge associated with many hillside vineyards, during those earlier years and earlier principles of viticulture and vinification techniques, was that the tannins often had a tendency, more in some vintages than others, to be overly rustic, perhaps even aggressive and at times even dusty or drying in the finish. We wanted to be able to enjoy the power and concentration that many hillside vineyards were capable of providing, along with their remarkable and discernible sense of place, but also to combine them with a pleasurability- presented through their soft and supple tannins. We realized early on in our winegrowing careers for wines to give pleasure, the tannins needed to be pleasurable (soft and supple) - not hard or dusty or drying. So, through many adjustments in viticultural practices and changes in vinification techniques we experimented with and developed through those earlier years, we were able to work on taming those tannins and accomplished a significant improvement in the softening of the tannins without the need for any additives or any undesirable processing; and to do so without any fining or filtering. Even with this approach, we felt there was more we could accomplish in making improvements in the achievement of ripe and supple tannins as well as the expression of place. Many of those ideas went on to be the principles we followed in seeking out the optimal location for our estate vineyard. In addition, we employed many of those unique practices with regards to how we chose to develop a vineyard from the very beginning- in other words- methods employed in designing and planting a new vineyard and even more specifically, methods used to raise those grapes with these guiding principles in mind as those young vines were brought along to develop into a mature vineyard. Throughout our winemaking careers, we worked with close to 200 different vineyard sites in Napa Valley and we had many opportunities to purchase grapes from vineyards we believed certainly had the ability to make outstanding wines. For our own winegrowing venture, however, we were dedicated, instead, to finding just the right place to begin to put into practice those ideas we had been developing for the better part of two decades (at the time) in a vineyard we could call our own. In 1999, after extensive searches throughout many parts of Napa Valley, we found a location meeting all of the criteria we felt important for a site to have in order for us to be able to accomplish our goals. Summarized below are of some of those steps critical for us to follow in order to be able to produce, more consistently, a wine of great power and concentration, a wine expressing very clearly the character associated with where the grapes are grown and a wine enveloped in a blanket of very soft enriching and supple tannins. Hillside location on the west side of the Napa Valley- we wanted the site to be not at the top of the mountain nor at the foot of the hills but located somewhere in between- on the hillside: Our vineyard is at approximately 500-foot elevation, in the western foothills just above Calistoga. We prefer the west side of the valley because it enjoys a cooler growing environment than the eastern side of the valley- The sun rises earlier and sets earlier on the west side of the valley and those hillside sites on the west side of the valley are not generally subjected to the stronger and more direct afternoon sun exposure of the east side of the valley. Orientation allowing for a north to south row direction: We wanted to have a row direction allowing the exposure from the morning sun on the canopy to equal the afternoon exposure. We accomplished this with a row direction of 17 degrees off north (the rows point from NNW to SSW) following the slope of the hill (the fall-line). This orientation gave us approximately one hour more sunlight on the morning side of the canopy and approximately one hour less direct sun on the afternoon side of the canopy. This orientation helps to equalize the solar radiation effect and equalize the overall ripening of the clusters on both sides of the canopy. High density planting: Our vineyard is planted at a spacing of 3 feet by 5 feet, giving us 2,904 vines per acre. This vineyard site is comprised of low to very low vigor volcanic soils (even by hillside vineyard site standards), so it was destined to be low yielding, but besides just a low yield of fruit per acre, we wanted to be sure, through the use of higher density planting, we achieved low yield of fruit per vine as well. In this way, we felt we would help the vines grow in a lower stress environment, hopefully assisting in ultimately achieving a longer life of each vine but also allowing the vine to utilize its available annual energies in facilitating maturity and softening of the tannins, making it easier for the tannins to mature to a level we desire at a timing more aligned with the ripening of the sugars and the flavors. Raising the grapes in a manner to encourage dry farming: Vineyards planted in the late 80’s and 90’s were developed utilizing drip irrigation. We recognize this as a great tool; however, we also saw some of what we felt were the pitfalls associated with its use in ways not helping to facilitate optimal tannin (maturity and softness). Through a specific program utilizing drip irrigation when the vines are young to promote rapid and deep root growth, we have been able to completely (or in some more severe parts of the vineyard, nearly completely) achieve ‘dry’ farming by the time the vines are 10 years old. (In other words, we do not have to irrigate at all during the growing season (April through October), except in the most stressed sites where deep root penetration is not possible because the root growth is blocked by some impenetrable circumstance- (these areas are quite small and are managed and vinified separately from the rest of the areas). Organic Farming Methods: We truly believe we have dual purposes and dual goals as discerning winegrowers. First, as stewards of the land for the time we are caring for the vines, we feel it is our obligation to not only farm in a manner sensitive to its environment, but we need to take one step further and embrace the obligation to improve the conditions in which our grapes grow beyond what the site was like when we took over as caretakers. As such, we choose to employ practices such as those listed below, which include: Soil health- we take great efforts to build up and sustain the living microflora/microbiome in the soil through the use of cover crops and practices such as -not tilling the soil, (which alters the soil structure and increases soil temperature and erosion) during the growing season- which, if not employed as we do, can have a detrimental effect on the health of the microflora in the soil and the ability of the vines to utilize the micronutrients present in the soil). We do not ever use herbicides. We minimize the amount we put onto the vineyard for things actually or potentially harming the grapes or the environment (for example controlling mildew)- we do this by monitoring the environment (using spore traps) to determine if we really need to do anything to prevent mildew growth. This method replaces scheduling actions on a calendared basis, which so often is the norm. All of the products we use are organic. This practice greatly reduces the number of times each year we need to intervene to control- or rather prevent mildew from growing. As a point of understanding, please note that for the past three vintages we have not sprayed a single time against mildew- it simply was not needed. In this way, we also help to retain the entirety of the native/resident yeast population that we so actively rely on for fermentation of the grapes. Low inputs- we do not use tractors which promote soil compaction and in doing so, we also reduce the overall carbon footprint employed in farming. Most importantly, we feel we have an obligation to farm and grow these winegrapes in a way giving them the best chance of developing not only the singular sense of where they were raised, but also to do it in a methodology allowing for no compromise or diminution of character and quality. When it comes to making decisions allowing for the highest potential wine quality we take no shortcuts. We believe our customers are very discerning – as are we. Our commitment to them is to consistently and continually (year in and year out) produce a wine of the highest quality possible from this site showing the true character of where these grapes were raised and allowing our followers to feel that perhaps through the enjoyment of our wines they have improved the quality of their experience and ultimately provide the ability to enhance even if in a small way, some part of their lives. Vinification: In the 90’s we began researching vinification techniques beyond what we had already employed, in search of ways to further improve the quality of extraction of the tannins. We discovered a practice we felt was perhaps the gentlest method to reveal the soft tannins during the red wine fermentations and we were the first ones in California to begin working with it. The technique employed the use of small French oak barrels as the vessels in which we fermented the grapes. The grapes are gently placed directly into the barrels by disassembling and removing the heads of the barrels. Then, once filled with grapes, the heads are put back into the barrels. The barrels are then placed onto rollers where-in we can rotate the barrels to mix the floating grapes with the fermenting juice. In this way, we are not compelled to either punch down the ‘cap’ (the floating grapes) nor pump the liquid over the top of the ‘cap’ repeatedly in order to achieve the extraction of the color, flavor and tannins. We found this method to be extremely gentle, something which was always a goal of ours. We have continually taken great efforts to not damage or bruise or tear the skins of the grapes during handling of the grapes from the time of harvesting forward and during fermentation and this practice allows us an even higher level of care. Additionally, fermentation in barrels provides many other benefits contributing to our overall goals, such as- maintaining extremely constant temperature (which is ideal for the native yeasts), minimizing oxidation during extended skin contact, providing for improved mid-palate richness, the ability to easily manage a barrel rotation protocol to best match the quality and character of each wine lot, to be able to manage very small lots of wine deemed in need of harvesting separately from other parts of the vineyard and of course the very gentle extraction of the tannins, while typically developing a high quantity of tannins (which will confer on the wine an ability to age for a long time) but tannins which are also very soft and supple and therefore pleasurable, even while the wine is young. An additional comment on barrel fermentation; As far as we know, we are currently the only winery who ferments 100% of their wines in these 225L French oak barrels every year. It is a very labor-intensive undertaking and one which understandably has substantial costs associated with it as well. When we first experimented with the practice, we realized right away the process made our wine better. We are able to do it this way because we are a very small producer, while other larger or even mid-size producers would find it either cost prohibitive, logistically prohibitive, or both. By way of further explanation, we are obliged to ferment our grapes in, between 3 and 4 French oak barrels, in order to fill just one barrel of wine after fermentation. So, each year, we must have or purchase between 3 and 4 times the number of barrels we ultimately need for the aging of our wines. This practice, among other reasons, such as the space requirement to do this, no doubt, prevents other wineries from employing it’s use in this manner. Through all of the practices we have employed, both viticulturally and in vinification, we have taken great efforts to ensure we can preserve the character of the place where the grapes were grown and to present the wine in a pleasurable way - to not do things in the raising of the grapes or the making of the wine lessening or somehow taking away from those independent and complimentary goals. As such, our decisions about what to do and when to do them revolve around this basic principle. As a result, we never ‘fine’ the wine with any fining agents as an attempt to soften the tannins and likewise, we never ‘filter’ the wine- because both of those practices also take away many other things in the wine which would decrease the character and ultimately, we feel, the soul of the wine. Comments on the general description and a difference between the two wines we produce: All of our wines are made using the same principles and practices. We assemble our ‘flagship’ wine blend first- which we call LEVY & McCLELLAN and while the blend varies from vintage to vintage, a general description of the makeup (composition) of the wine would, or could be: approximately 84-86% CS, approximately 10-12%% CF and approximately 3-4% PV. Each year we also offer a second wine, which we call AMPERSAND. The Merlot rarely finds its way into the final blend of the LEVY & McCLELLAN in any significant amount, as you can see above, and is normally used in the AMPERSAND blend which we feel provide for the wine, an earlier approach-ability to each AMPERSAND blend (in general, the composition would, or could be- approximately 80-84% CS, approximately 10-12%% M, approximately 3-4% CF and approximately 3-4% PV), Whereas the LEVY & McCLELLAN tends to be a wine which, while it is not unapproachable in its youth, does have the focus, the energy, tension and concentration allowing it to ask for further aging and offers perhaps a longer-term age-ability than the AMPERSAND. Producing a wine with a sense of place: It is important for us to note while we have planted four of the classical Bordeaux varieties, in order to produce each vintage from our vineyard, a wine which is representative of this unique place- - a wine exemplifying place through its character, our goal is to produce a wine with a sense of place being recognizable- and not a particular variety or a ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’ with a sense of place, (to us it needs to be a wine having characteristics of the site which is obvious and discernable in the wine)-  A fine distinction, but one which we feel is important to understand. Our vineyard is approximately 6 acres (pretty small!) and is planted to 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot and 4% Petite Verdot. When one talks about ‘terroir’, it is imperative to note the human element, the decisions made by the people involved in the process- everything from the selection of the site, to the planting decisions, to the plant material selected, the farming practices, etc., etc., as well as all of the decisions going into vinifying the wine- ALL of this needs to be considered as having an influence on the end result. We chose to plant those varieties at those particular locations in the vineyard because we felt strongly the particular area(s) they were planted in were best suited for those varieties- not because we wanted a particular blend or even wanted to have a particular percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon. Most areas where we might have chosen to develop our new vineyard were predominantly best suited to the planting of Cabernet Sauvignon, as is much of Napa Valley. However, there are parts of this site, which for various reasons (soil changes, rock content, increased exposure or lessening of exposure, vigor of the topsoil, or perhaps simply soil permeability) gave us clues as to what we ultimately would feel would be the best choice as to what rootstock and what scion (variety) to use and where to start and where to stop in the process of planting a particular variety or rootstock (in other words it gave us clues as to the block size and shape and where to change blocks). So, as you can see, with the chosen ‘cepage’ (mix of varieties) explained above, the stage is set for, in most years (but not necessarily all years), producing a wine which would (or could) be legally allowed to be called a Cabernet Sauvignon (the minimum limit is 75%)- However- since our goal is to produce the best wine each year representing the conditions presented to us for the vintage, we wanted the flexibility to not be bound to a particular limit, should we feel the circumstances present themselves in such a way as to have lower than 75% CS in the final blend- for either the LEVY & McCLELLAN or the AMPERSAND.  So, for many vintages, we could technically label our wine a ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’, however, we choose not to label it as such, because we feel it is more desirable to produce a wine of this special place expressed through the lens of the vintage, which may highlight a particular variety grown on this site for that growing year- and which ultimately also is a part of defining ‘terroir’.