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Seven Blocks of Cabernet Sauvignon
Winfield Vineyard consists of seven distinct blocks of Cabernet Sauvignon on a 12-acre “mezzanine” above the valley floor. Each block is differentiated by its soil type & moisture content, rootstock & clone selection, viticultural protocol and irrigation program.
3
2
1
5
6
4
7
Calistoga Sub-Appellation
The Soils
The vineyard is located in the Calistoga AVA of the upper Napa Valley where the volcanic slopes of Mount Saint Helena rise out of the valley’s alluvial floor. The property extends from 425 to 590 ft. in elevation, and the confluence of geologic landscapes at this site, combined with the unique mesoclimate of the upper valley, create a terroir ideal for Cabernet Sauvignon.
Winfield Vineyard is perched on a sloping mezzanine, or bench, above the Valley floor. This location on the valley floor’s perimeter provides a geological advantage with respect to the underlying granular, friable and well-aerated volcanic soils.
The vineyard is surrounded by a natural amphi-theatre of steep, sun-focused hillsides. The soils are predominantly cobbly loam with gravelly loam in the upper sections. Its well taps into an aquifer of pure water weeping off Mount Saint Helena.
“I’d be hard pressed to find a site that’s better
than y’all’s site, top to bottom.”
– Thomas Rivers Brown
The Climate
Napa Valley is an ideal grape growing corridor characterized by its long growing season and its warm, dry days alternating with cool nights frequently marked by layers of fog.
This up-valley mesoclimate accen-tuates these temperature rhythms for two reasons ~ daytime temper-atures are higher at our altitude and nighttime conditions are cooler as influenced by the maritime air pulled into the valley in the hot afternoons and by cascading air flow down from Mount Saint Helena. These swings often provide us with uniquely cool ripening conditions.
Farming this special site is an act of respect for the land by utilizing sustainable farming practices while sleeping with one eye open on the vagaries of the weather.
Winfield Vineyard