As you are driving through a residential area of Napa you may happen upon an indistinct gate off of Hagen Road. You would not know it without following the directions given, but through this quaint neighborhood, and just beyond that gate you will find 55 acres of premier Napa vineyards. Nestled on and around Mount George at the southern end of the Vaca Range one finds the Palmaz Vineyards. With elevations ranging from 400 to 1400 feet above sea level, variations in soil types, and aspect to the sun; this little chunk of land offers over twenty distinct parcels for growing wine-grapes. The land under vine is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon with small lots of Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Cabernet Franc used for blending. In addition they have discovered a couple of uniquely suited cool spots to grow just a bit of Chardonnay, Riesling, and Muscat.
The winery was originally founded in 1881 by Henry Hagen under the name Cedar Knolls. Though the vineyards survived phylloxera in the 1890’s prohibition proved to be its downfall; as goes the story for many of California’s original greats. In 1997 Julio and Amalia Palmaz began restoration and rejuvenation of this old chunk of California history. This was quite an undertaking considering that the property had been generally neglected for nearly a century! The couple had a dream to restore a historical piece of California while creating a legacy to pass down through future generations of the family.
Julio Palmaz, known for the invention of the Palmaz Coronary Stent, attended medical school in Argentina, and completed his residency at UC Davis. It was during his time at UC Davis that the wine-bug bit, and though there were other things he needed to achieve before arriving in Napa Valley it was always a destination. Amalia Palmaz and daughter Florencia have been successful in several business ventures surrounding gourmet and heart-healthy meals that you can create in your own kitchen. If you go to taste at the vineyards today the tasting is accompanied by small bites that are influenced by true wine-loving, foodies. Son of Julio and Amalia, Chirstian leads the efforts in the vineyards with a deep understanding of geoscience that acts as a driving factor behind the vineyards distinct terroirs. Wife of Christian, Jessica acts as the Director of Hospitality, when we visited the winery we were made to feel right at home as she showed us around the property and explained the ins and outs of producing a bottle of Palmaz wine. The entire family is passionate about what they do and each one of them is involved hands-on in the vineyards and winery with their prized winemaking staff and vineyard crew.
The winery itself is as much a work of art as a feat of engineering. You enter the winery on the highest level and you look down into the barrel room that is the equivalent of 18 stories below you. All of it built directly into the mountainside. Julio was highly involved in the creation and innovation of the winery that uses only the force of gravity to process the fruit after harvest. The idea at play here is: you spend months during the growing season coddling, and caring for the precious fruit on the vines. Why would you run all of that wonderful juice through violent pumps once you get it into the winery? The fruit enters the top level and undergoes a rigorous sorting process. It then drops to the next level where there is a carousel of 24 individual fermentation tanks to process each of the parcels as an individual representation of terroir. Each tank is outfitted with jackets for temperature control and monitored by state-of-the-art software that informs the family and winemaking team of any unexpected changes immediately, via their cell phones. After primary fermentation the grapes are gently pressed to finish extracting the juice and the parcels are kept individual as they make their way into new French oak from various cooperages. After barrel aging for approximately two years after harvest each of the “micro-terroirs” that create a veritable spice rack of flavors are tasted by the family and winemaking team in order to achieve the master blend. Upon finding the intricate balance of the final blend the wine is then transported back to the top of the winery to create enough pressure through gravity to bottle. Seeing all of the effort and thought that went into this is an absolutely incredible experience.
The wines we tasted were paired with wonderful small bites that paired with each nicely:
Named for Jessica Palmaz, this is a delicate wine. With lively acidity, flavors of white peach, zesty lime, and honeysuckle this wine makes for a great aperitif or first course partner at the dinner table. Just a hint of residual sugar is left behind contributing to the body and long finish without leaving your palate saturated with sweetness.
Palmaz takes a Burgundian approach for their Chardonnay. Tropical notes of fresh pineapple accompanied by hints of lemon curd, and vanilla spiced orange peel lead the way to the long finish. Full bodied with hints of toasty oak that is extremely well integrated. This is a great food-wine that is made in honor of the family matriarch.
2007 Cedar Knolls Cabernet Sauvignon
After taking the time to get all of their incredible fruit into the winery and processed it is unfortunate that every bit of that juice cannot make the cut due the rigorous selection that goes into the flagship Palmaz Cabernet Sauvignon. As a result this “second-label” is produced under the Cedar Knolls label in honor of Henry Hagen and the estates origins. Bringing much of the same dark fruit flavors and sweet oak tannins that you find in the flagship cabernet, this is a great wine and a sleeper in its price-bracket (specially the 2007 vintage).
2006 Palmaz Cabernet Sauvignon
Rich, dark, and brooding this wine exhibits the strength and firm tannins that are associated with the 2006 vintage for Napa. Loads of crème de cassis and fig fill the front palate and lead the way to the dark chocolate and tobacco that linger on the finish. Though the tannins are firm they remain supple and in balance with the acidity and fruit flavors of the wine, a few years in the cellar will round out some of that vintage character and leave you with an enviable bottle of Cab.
2007 Palmaz Cabernet Sauvignon
With 2007 representing one of the greatest vintages in the last decade Palmaz really brought it home with their unique set of terroirs that gave up this elegant Cabernet. Balance and texture is where this wine truly excels. Silky, yet firm. Powerful, but elegant. Rich, and in harmony. Robust flavors of dark fruit and blueberries, accented with hints of cigar tobacco, roasted red bell pepper and sweet barrel spice bring this wine to a finish that lasts for minutes.
The next time you are planning to visit Napa do yourself a favor and call ahead to
Palmaz. Make an appointment as they do not take “drop-ins” and you will not regret it. It was a great experience and I look forward to going back and meeting more of the family at a future date.
A special thanks to Jessica Palmaz for her hospitality while guiding us on our tour and tasting.
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